The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control
by MorsDeContactus
Summary: I never knew love and family could have such far reaching consequences that would shake our world to the core. In Felix's POV. Takes place during New Moon/AU. More complete summary inside. Rated T for language. UPDATED!
1. Vital Signs

**SUMMARY:**

**Throughout my fourteen hundred years, I never questioned myself or my purpose. I never even questioned my ability to love someone with all my heart. Sure, I loved Demetri, Heidi, and others, they were like my family. But love for a mate? Never. Out of sight, out of mind. That all changed one fateful day. My entire world crashed and burned, like the work of the Angel of Death, terrible and beautiful. **

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm back with a new one. I have NOT forgotten 'Family Pieces', I'm just reorganizing a couple chapters before I publish them. **

**A few things you should be aware of:**

**This IS a Bella/Felix fic. I don't want nor need reviews telling me how you don't want that pairing. If you hate it or not willing to be open-minded and give if a shot, don't read it.**

**Felix is pretty OOC since you don't see this side of him in the books, I'm going off what might have happened if he didn't know about Edward at first and wasn't really looking to kill someone (like in Volterra). Bella's vaguely OCC too in the thoughts about the relationship, but I will explain what she's thinking. Also, their thought are a loose version of one of my relationships. So please don't be too harsh.**

**My Felix talks a lot and isn't too introspective like Bella, so he does have a lot of lengthy conversations with those he's close to. I do not write him this way because I'm lazy or whatever you probably think. He rarely thinks something he won't say or do (similar to Emmett), so he's quite talkative. It will prove an interesting mix with Bella.**

**Yes, I snagged a few lines from the book because I liked them and wanted to use them in a different context, except for the direct quotes in chapter one.**

**It starts in the middle of New Moon, and the wolf pack isn't quite as active, staying mainly to their lands and a couple runs outside that. Also it's in Felix's POV.**

* * *

**Enjoy!**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

Vital Signs

The usual band of the guard, consisting of myself, Jane, Alec and Demetri, had been sent to Dallas, Texas. I honestly thought this was a complete waste of time. Demetri agreed, but he was the tracker so he didn't have much of a say in the matter, and neither did I. I was quite possibly the best fighter on the planet and my sheer presence tended to frighten people enough to comply quickly. My main job though was protecting Jane. Demetri protected Alec, and the twins protected us all. The four of us were nearly unstoppable.

Rumors flew that the Southerners were getting feisty again, but nothing too noticeable had happened yet. We were simply sent as a warning. I couldn't complain too much, I loved to fight and the odds were that someone would make a stupid move and force our hand. It's just that Jane could be terrifying even to us when she was deployed on a dead-end mission, and that still unnerved me even after centuries.

In the end, nothing happened. The Southerners in this area were much more cautious than they had been before and actually banded together to take out the coven that the rumors stemmed from. They feared us, as they should.

"What should we do now?" Demetri asked, obviously wanting to get back to Heidi as soon as possible. It was no secret they were completely head over heels in love with each other. I didn't understand it, but I assumed it was one of those things you had to experience it to get.

"There is talk from humans of giant bears in Washington. Caius wants us to go investigate and ensure the bears are not something more sinister," Jane replied from the other room of the hotel. She sounded utterly bored, and she was. We all were.

I hated that Caius sent us on these hunting missions. He was beyond paranoid of werewolves. These little side trips rarely amounted to anything, and if they did, it was some vampire not being careful enough.

By the next morning, we landed in Seattle, obtained a car and booked a hotel, same as always.

We searched all the way to the Oregon border, but never found any werewolf trail or other vampires. There were a bunch of dog scents, but what else did I expect in the wilds of America?

I was running through the forest, to meet up with Alec when I caught two scents I wasn't expecting. A human was here, but this was a long way from any trail. I thought about having a snack when I picked up the other scent, another vampire I'd met over two hundred years ago, Laurent. Damn him if he got to the human before I did, but I thought he already probably had.

Just in case, I followed the human scent. Venom welled in my mouth as it grew stronger, it was one of the most appealing aromas I had ever come across. I wasn't going to miss out if I could.

The forest began to brighten in the distance as the scent filled my head and I could hear a heartbeat and Laurent talking ahead.

I decided to run around to the left to get a better view of what the situation was. I rather Laurent not notice me at first, we weren't friends by any stretch of the imagination.

"I'm surprised any of them can keep it up for long. Sometimes I cheat." I overheard him talking to someone, obviously the human. This sounded like an amusing conversation at the least. I crept closer, still out of sight.

"Oh, Jasper has problems with that, too." Her voice froze me where I stood. It was so sweet, so innocent, and dripping with a hint of fear, but also some sort of odd apathy. Why did he have to play with her like that? I at least tried to keep it short and sweet.

"Really? Is that why they left?" he sounded intrigued.

A strange thought occurred to me, although I didn't know why. This girl knew about vampires. How much, I wasn't sure, but enough to be able to talk fairly causally when faced with one. Either that or her sense of self-preservation was almost non-existent, she should have bolted by now.

I peered around the tree to get a look at this bizarre girl before he finally took her.

I was stunned. She was beautiful, her brown hair flowing down her back, nearly flawless skin, and her eyes. My God, her eyes were mesmerizing. Her warm chocolate eyes were filled with terror.

Something inside me snapped. I simply could not allow Laurent to have her. She didn't deserve death. She was much too beautiful and precious for that. I had to protect her from this fiend.

_What in God's name am I thinking? She's a human! A mere mortal!_

"I'll be very quick. You won't feel a thing, I promise. Oh, I'll lie to Victoria about that later, naturally, just to placate her. But if you knew what she had planned for you, Bella…I swear you'd be thanking me for this."

The way he leered at her broke my train of thought cold. I couldn't stand it anymore and I wasn't sure if I wanted to.

Without warning, I lunged and brought him to the ground. It was over in seconds, he was no match for me, too fast and too strong.

I looked at the girl, even more terrified now. She smelled delicious, but I couldn't kill her, not yet, not until I figured out why I felt this odd compulsion to protect her.

"Are you alright?" I asked, making my voice as calm and nonthreatening as I could manage.

She nodded, never taking her eyes off me. She finally took a step back.

"I won't hurt you, not like this bastard," I said as I tossed a match onto his dismembered corpse.

She still didn't say anything. I wished she would relax, but I realized she knew I was more than capable of killing her too.

"What's your name?" I hoped changing the subject might help her relax or at least catch her off guard enough to actually answer. I felt the strange urge to put a name to this pretty face.

"B-Bella," she breathed. Too bad she was still terrified.

"Bella, I will not hurt you. Okay? Relax. I'm Felix," I murmured, I didn't want her to be afraid of me. I couldn't find the reason as to why and it was driving me insane.

"D-Did the Cullens send you?" Her voice was a little louder, but still no more than a whisper.

The Cullens. She knew them? That explained why she knew of vampires and perhaps her lack of instincts. Was it possible she was comfortable around us? I knew Gianna was, but she was an odd woman.

"Um...no, not really. But, like I said, I'm not going to hurt you. Do they protect you?" It was the only answer I could think of and I was genuinely interested in the answer. If they were protecting her, it would be wise not to stick around for another second. I knew their coven was large and I could not fight them all if they showed up.

"They did, he did," she gasped and grabbed her chest, like she was trying not to fall apart.

Without thinking, I rushed to her side and placed my hand on her face. What was I doing? She didn't jump away and that confused me. This girl, this woman, Bella, was beyond confounding.

I quickly made a mental list of what I what learned in the past few minutes: She was beautiful, had a severe lack of instincts, was at one time protected by the Cullens, smelled delightful, and seemed to be in a lot of pain emotionally. I was baffled and couldn't make any sense of it.

"So, this Victoria is hunting you?" Although I was occupied trying to solve this riddle, I had picked up that much from her little chat with Laurent.

And what was that about Edward? I assumed he was one of the Cullens. But why would he avenge her like that? Was she in a relationship with him? If that was true, it cleared up a lot of questions, but raised one huge problem, I was angry that he held a claim on her. What was going on with me today? Was I jealous? _I can't be jealous, she's just a human!_

She only nodded.

Now I was enraged. I would not stand aside and let her be hunted by this Victoria bitch. But that also meant I couldn't leave her, at least until this issue was taken care of.

Perhaps I could get Demetri to find her, but I wouldn't have a good reason and Aro would be furious if we killed an immortal without cause. Caius couldn't care less, but Aro was the one to worry about. Besides, no one would agree to protect a human.

All I could do is stay in this God forsaken area and hoped Victoria showed up. From the way Laurent was talking, it sounded like that was a sure bet. Our kind does get obsessive about revenge, especially when mates are involved.

_Wait a second. She couldn't be this Edward's mate. That's impossible_.

That thought just proved it. I was jealous. I had utterly lost my mind. More than that, I had taken my mind and hurled it off the planet.

Bella was still holding herself, almost clawing at her sides. Her eyes were so full of pain, I couldn't bear to look at them anymore. I finally reached the conclusion that made sense out of her reaction, he had left her and she still loved him. I hated him for doing this to her, to a fragile human, to someone as precious as Bella.

_Yep, I've officially gone insane._

I gently scooped her up, taking care to move at human pace to avoid scaring her more so. It was like someone else was controlling me. I never touched anyone like this, immortal or not. Even my thirst seemed to be someone else's problem, and I was never one to pass up a meal.

I thought she might be going into shock or something since she didn't protest. I gathered from her little talk with Laurent that she wasn't one to just accept something, especially if she didn't want it. And this would be something she wouldn't want if she still loved that other guy, which it was glaringly apparent she did. But a small part of me hoped that maybe, just maybe she did want me to hold her, even if it was just for comfort.

I began to walk quickly through the forest, following her trail back north where she started from. I could at least make sure she got home safely.

She never did relax, but eventually her breathing became more even.

We emerged through the trees onto a road with a old red truck parked on the side. I assumed it was hers.

"Is that your truck?" I asked, hoping she would be able to drive. She didn't look in any shape to be behind the wheel, not that I blamed her. She was almost killed by one vampire and rescued by another. That couldn't be simple for a human mind to cope with.

"Yes. Thank you," she whispered as she tried to shift her body out of my arms. I set her down gently by the back of the truck.

I had to stifle a chuckled when she nearly tripped over her own feet. It was adorable to watch this beautiful brave girl be so uncoordinated. I wondered if she was always this clumsy or if it was a by-product of the situation.

She tripped again and couldn't stop herself from falling. I quickly grabbed her waist and pulled her upright. She just looked at me sheepishly, not a smile, but still with a hint of gratitude.

"Perhaps I should drive. You've been through quite a lot already, and cheated death once today. I don't think a car wreck would help that," I suggested. I gave her a wink and flashed a smile, careful not to make my smile too big.

She fished around in her pocket for a moment and handed me the key. Could she really be that trusting? I ignored that question and concentrated on my mission of getting her home in one piece. Then I would deal with the rest, including the fact she knew of us and consequences of that later.

Thankfully, she was still aware enough to tell me where to go and that her truck couldn't go faster than sixty. That was particularly annoying, I could walk quicker than that. The speed that irritated me to no end didn't seem to bother her. Maybe it was a vampire thing.

The drive dragged on and Bella was lost in her own thoughts. At least it gave me a chance to think. There was so much wrong here that it took me a few minutes to even figure out where to begin. I finally settled on a list of questions and answers, hoping by the time I ran through the list I would have some clarity.

_Why did I stop in the first place?_ That was a simple one, although the answer became more bizarre as I thought about it. _I caught her scent and she smelled absolutely mouthwatering. I can't even think of drinking her now. What the hell is wrong with me?_

_Why did I stop Laurent? Because he was about to kill her, the evil bastard. _

_And why for fuck's sake do I even give a damn about her? The jealousy, the protectiveness, everything. I just don't understand it._

I quickly realized I was not going to make any progress by over thinking this whole insane predicament I found myself in. I would just go with it until I killed Victoria and be on my way. I could do that much for her. Why did I want to do anything for her? All I cared about was the Volturi, to hell with the rest of the world. But she was different.

She pointed out her house and I pulled the truck in next to the curb, relieved the drive was over.

I debated on whether to get a hotel or just stay around here, but that was quickly settled as soon I looked into her eyes. I couldn't leave her here defenseless. Even if I got a hotel room, there was no guarantee Victoria wouldn't slip past me, considering the only place to stay was on the other side of town. It looked like I would be camping for a few days.

She hesitated, like she wanted to say something, but didn't know how. I had a feeling about what it was, but it was so far outside the realm of reality, I didn't entertain the notion.

"Um...Felix?" she muttered, sounding so embarrassed I couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to come in or something?" I was floored. The impossibility of her actually wanted me here was beyond anything I could imagine. I froze in shock, wide-eyed with a corner of my lips still in a grin.

"Sorry, I know you probably don't. It's just been a hard day. Well, hard doesn't cover it. But I could use someone with me, and I really don't have anyone," she whispered, staring at the ground.

How could this enthralling girl not have anyone to turn to? I knew the whole secret world of ours was probably a big part, but didn't she have a friend she could call just to be with her? From what she said, it didn't seem like it.

"Of course Bella." I was surprised at how amazing it was to say her name. "I'll stay with you." The words came out before I realized what I was saying. I didn't have one shred of understanding and I quit trying. It was so incredibly useless.

My entire world was officially upside-down. I didn't care and honestly had no desire to right it. All that mattered was she needed somebody, and that somebody was me.

Bella led the way into the small two-story house, pausing only for a moment to unlock the door. She turned slightly and took my hand, guiding me up the stairs and into what I assumed was her bedroom. She sat on the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest as she kicked her shoes off.

I stood half way between the bed and a rocking chair in the corner. I wasn't sure what to do, if I should sit by her or not. I figured the hell with it, this had not only passed the point of reason but left it a thousand miles behind, and situated myself next to her.

It really must have looked comical with both of us on the bed. She looked so small next to me. I was easily two feet taller and three times as wide. It's a wonder the bed frame didn't break under us, although it groaned in protest.

I smelled the unmistakable scent of salt water, and immediately put my arm around her. It almost physically hurt to see her cry. It was a knee-jerk reaction, although it didn't surprise me. I didn't think I could have been surprised at this point.

Eventually, she leaned into me. That was unexpected, no human, not even Gianna was so open to contact with our kind. It went against every instinct and every law of nature. This girl was the most bizarre creature I had ever met and I had seen a lot in my fourteen hundred years.

Bella sighed and slipped further down my side. I got a bit anxious, not knowing what she was doing. Then I noticed her eyes were closed and her breathing was even. Was she asleep?

Right then and there, I learned to never underestimate Bella's ability to surprise me. Tolerating our presence was one thing, but feeling comfortable enough to fall asleep was another altogether.

I didn't want to move and wake her up, so I tried to sort through everything that had happen and make some kind of order of it all. It would probably be a futile attempt, but I was so lost in this madness I would never surface on my own.

I compared the way I reacted to her to other immortals I knew and came up empty. No one bothered to get this close and not kill or turn them. Eleazar nearly killed Carmen before he was able to stop and allow the change. Even when Demetri found Heidi, he had turned her within minutes, and he loved her from the first moment he saw her.

Then it slowly dawned on me. Searching for more answers, I looked more closely at Demetri and Heidi, how all he wanted was to be home with her again, the worried look in her eyes when he would be sent to take care of a situation.

_No. It can't be. Not a human. Although that might explain my urge to kill that Victoria and why I can restrain myself enough to sit by her. Could I possibly be in love with her?_

I tended to be rational, and that by no means was logical in any sense of the word. I was always more of a flirt, never taking it beyond words and winks. There never was any true feeling behind it. I never envied those with mates until this moment.

'Dibs,' I muttered darkly to myself, at least acknowledging the fact that I quite possibly did love her. But that meant only one thing, and I would be more than happy to oblige. I would have to change her and soon. I couldn't just do it without telling her, though the damage had already been done. I wouldn't let her suffer the confusion of Heidi and Carmen.

I begin to think out a plan to stage her death and take her back to Volterra.

She stirred, snapping me out of my reverie. Grabbing at my chest, she sat up and looked up at me with a mix of emotion in her eyes, ranging from pacified fear, to gratefulness, to comfort.

Comfort? In the presence of an immortal? I remembered I had told myself to quit thinking about her odd reactions. I would never understand them and it was useless to try.

"Felix, you're still here?" Bella whispered, rubbing her eyes.

"Rise and shine, beautiful," I replied effortlessly and gave her my trademark wink. I thought just maybe I could get used to this whole love thing.

**A/N: There's chapter one. I'll post chapter 2 sometime later today or tomorrow, once I read over it again and add my author's notes. I do know Felix has thought about the same things, mainly about being all confused and whatnot. It's mainly him trying to come to terms with Bella, and there is a reason for it. Also, don't scoff at Bella's reaction, there is a reason for that too, and it'll be explained in a few chapters. Most of this is already written or outlined, but leave me suggestions regardless. I do like reviews and they make my day :)**

**-Amanda**


	2. Calls and Favors

**A/N: As promised, here is chapter two. This is where things get complicated for Felix. Enjoy!**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_Calls and Favors_

Bella jumped off the bed and ran down the stairs. All the hopes I had entertained the past few minutes went right out the window.

I sighed and silently followed her to the kitchen, wondering what to say to her. I had to let her know she was safe, that I would handle Victoria and leave. The thought of leaving her almost ripped my cold heart out of my chest.

I didn't know what to do, Aro would know about all this soon enough and I would be in trouble for leaving her alive. Aro was not one you want to anger.

"Bella?" I murmured, hoping I could avoid scaring her.

No such luck. She jumped and spun around, dropping a baking dish on the counter. Hopefully I wouldn't have to deal with this much longer.

"Oh, Felix. Sorry," she apologized. I laughed quietly, I'm the one who startled her and here she was telling me sorry.

"No, my apologies. I didn't intend to frighten you."

"No, it's okay, just unexpected," she said as she turned to the refrigerator.

The stench of human food assaulted my senses. I backed up and sat at the table, attempting to get as far away from the odors as I could without offending her.

"I have to ask something. What were you doing there? Before you killed Laurent? And why did you save me?" The look on her face was priceless, like she just watched a unicorn tramp through her yard. I was pleased I wasn't the only one confused by my actions.

"I was coming up from the south to meet with a friend of mine. I was simply taking a shortcut through the forest, and came across both of your scents. As to why I saved you, I really don't know. I hated that he was going to kill you. It was a gut reflex I guess." I didn't want to give her too many details. It was already bad enough that I thought I could be in love with her, and she didn't need to worry about that just now.

"Oh. Thank you, you know, for saving me," she said over her shoulder as she continued to make dinner.

"No problem. Now let me ask you one. How are you so comfortable around our kind? And why were you holding yourself so tightly before?" I had come to my own conclusions a while back, but it would be nice to have them confirmed and know that maybe my sanity wasn't completely gone.

She instantly froze, just like we would do. Did she pick that up from the Cullens? If so, whatever she was thinking about wasn't pleasant and I felt the rage toward this Edward rise in me again for hurting her so deeply.

"Forget I asked, Bella. I can understand that's not something you wish to talk about." I saw her shoulders relax a tiny bit.

So my theory was true, for the most part. Her reaction made that perfectly clear. He must have been with her for at least a while, or she probably wouldn't have responded so negatively to the mere thought of him.

"Sorry. I don't know how to describe it. I guess it's like my entire chest has been ripped open and I can't breathe." Bella strained to get the words out. I sensed she had never told anyone that. As selfish as it was, it gave me a glimmer of hope that if she would confide in me already, maybe we could make this insane possibility a reality.

"I'm sorry," I muttered. I couldn't think of anything else to say and lapsed into silence.

"Um...Felix? Charlie is going to be home soon and it honestly wouldn't be good if you were here," she said reluctantly. She didn't want me to go, but I didn't know why and I wasn't going to press the issue.

"Alright, no problem. I'll be outside in the trees. I don't want to be too far away in case Victoria comes looking for her friend." I hoped that knowing I would be close would be of some comfort to her. Although how comfortable can a human really be knowing a vampire is near? Even one as odd as Bella?

Her face twisted into an expression of longing and anxiousness as she nodded. I prayed it was only because I mentioned Victoria again.

Then I did something that was so unexpected I would have never guessed I would do it even a few minutes ago. I placed my hands on either side of her face and forced her to look at me, and gently kissed her forehead.

"Bella, you're safe now. No vampire is going to get through me. I've never lost a fight in fourteen centuries and I'm going to start now." With that, I turned and ran out the back door.

I was so shocked I just kissed her that my whole body was on fire and the forest seemed to be spinning. I quickly found a tree to perch in where I could still hear inside the house in case there was a problem and tried to calm my swimming mind.

I was done trying to make any part of my attraction to this girl rational. I remember someone saying that love isn't rational, and I surely wasn't acting like myself. I just accepted the fact that I was in love with her.

I decided to make a mental to-do list of what needed to be done and in what order. It seemed like a good starting point. First, I had to get rid of Victoria. Second, figure out if there's any chance in hell this girl could love me too. I wasn't about to get involved with a one-sided relationship although I was already in over my head. Three, change her. And four, decide after that what we would do together. She might not want to be in the Volturi guard, but I couldn't see why. Aro would hate for me to leave, but he'd allow me to, I hoped. And I would miss Demetri and Alec...

_Oh, shit! Alec. I hope he's not searching for me._

I dialed the number on my cell phone we kept for missions like this. If Demetri was tracking me down already, I would have to change her now.

"Felix! Where are you? Get side-tracked hunting?" he said, amused that I actually checked in this time.

"Not quite. Listen, Alec, I have a couple things I need to tend to here. I can't really explain it, though, too complicated. Just head back to Volterra without me and I'll be back in a couple of days...or weeks."

"What happened?"

"Long story. An immortal is apparently causing some problems here, and I'm going to take care of it." I really hoped he didn't dig any deeper.

"You know the rest of us can help with that," he urged, wanting to finally see some action.

"I know, it's just less drama this way. Trust me. I'll see you in a while."

"Alright, Felix. Call if you need anything. We're not leaving until the day after tomorrow." He sounded disappointed, but let it go.

"Will do. And tell Demetri to call me, I need to speak with him late tonight. Later."

"Alright, Bye."

I sighed in relief and snapped the phone shut. That's one bullet I dodged, if just for a while.

I did need to talk to Demetri, he was the only one that could either snap me out of this or help me out. And honestly, he's the one person I would trust with my life and to keep his mouth shut. I could at least manipulate the circumstances enough to make it sound like I hadn't lost my edge.

A police cruiser pulled into the driveway, and a man I assumed was Charlie fumbled with his keys, and walked into the house. It still baffled me how humans could stand to move so slow.

"Bella?" I heard him call as he shut and locked the door behind him. _Yeah, like that would keep me out if I need to get into the house. Stupid, oblivious humans._

"In here Dad, dinner's on the table," she answered back.

_Who else would be here? Surely not a mythical vampire protecting your daughter. _I chuckled quietly, _I'm sure that would over well._

"Thanks Bells."

_Bells? I like that. Maybe I could call her Bells. Get a grip Felix! _My mind was going a million different directions at once. That was beyond annoying. I usually had no problem sticking to one train of thought, and this girl, this human girl had completely derailed it.

"How was work?" She didn't seem all that interested, but I guessed she had her reasons.

"Pretty boring, nothing new with the bear. Mark said I should be chief of animal control instead of police they way things are going."

So, there was in fact something to this bear thing. But I had a bigger problem, he was chief of police. That could make things complicated for me later on when I changed her and she inevitably disappeared. It's nothing the Volturi couldn't handle, but just meant some extra planning.

The rest of the evening was nearly silent as Charlie watched some game on television and Bella worked on homework on her bed.

I could hear her pouring over an advanced math problem, Calculus is sounded like. Thanks to my vampire mind, I solved the problem in seconds in my head, but she had been working on it for over ten minutes and came up with the wrong answer. I made a mental note to change that answer tonight, and see if she would like some tutoring while I was here. If I was honest with myself, it was mainly because I wanted to be near her, but I kept telling myself it was because it would give me something to do while waiting for Victoria.

After taking a shower, Bella called good night to Charlie and began to clean off her bed. She paused, her book bag still in her hand, and stared out the window, just down and to the left of where I was perched, although it was too dark for her to see me.

She pursed her lips, like she was debating something, opened the window and scanned the forest. What idea could possibility be turning over in her mind? I had a hunch, but I wouldn't think twice about it. She couldn't be thinking that.

"Felix?" she whispered as she ducked her head out of the window.

I froze as a multitude of emotions ran through my body. Some of them nameless, like a blend of optimism, eagerness, fear, and nervousness. She was calling for me? Why? To make sure I was actually watching out for her tonight like I said I would?

She waited a second, her face changing from hopeful to confused to disappointment, like I had let her down. I couldn't have that. In five short leaps, I was standing in the yard, below her window.

She blinked and looked right at me. Did she really see me approach? I quickly learned she was very observant and noticed things most humans would completely miss.

She smiled, all traces of disappointment wiped from her face. I couldn't help but smile in return. At the very least, she wanted to know I was there, but I didn't dare entertain any hopes of more than that.

"Felix?" she asked again, not calling me like before, but seeming to want to ask me something further.

Without thinking about it, I took a feather light leap and balanced on the window sill, only a foot from her. The scent was so pleasant, so floral, I could not get over how appealing she was, but the thirst stayed at bay by some unknown force, even though I haven't hunted in over a week. At that moment, it dawned on me why, I wanted her to be immortal more than I wanted to kill her. I remembered Demetri saying something similar about Heidi after he changed her.

"Bella," I whispered, winking at her.

"You're here," she breathed, surprised.

"Of course. I promised you would be safe, didn't I? That would be difficult if I couldn't watch over you. Besides, what else am I going to do?" I tried to sound as casual as I could without letting my need to protect her and be near her creep into my voice. I wasn't that lucky.

She bit her lip, pondering over something. She looked adorable. I cocked an eyebrow and grinned, waiting for her to voice her thoughts.

"Would you maybe do me a favor?"

Oh no. Did she want me to leave? To stay away from her? The mere thought hurt right down to my soul.

"Depends."

"I know it won't be easy, but will you maybe..." She paused and looked at the floor. Bella was so nervous and scared of what she was about to ask me, if it was in my power, I would not deny her anything. "Maybe stay with me tonight? Here? I can't explain why really, but with you here, I feel...I guess more like I'm a whole person again. I feel safe with you."

"Certainly Bella." I had to work to keep my excitement out of my voice. The wildest of my dreams came true. "You might need to back up though."

She looked confused but took a couple steps toward the bed and I silently climbed through the window. Either she never registered exactly how big I was, or assumed a vampire of my size could still slip into her window with negative clearance. I listened intently for any change in Charlie's snoring, apparently he was a sound sleeper.

Bella smiled sheepishly at me, staring at me. She almost looked guilty but not about to back down.

She gingerly stepped back to her bed, and curled up underneath the blankets.

She never took her beautiful brown eyes off me as I settled into a lean against the wall with my arms crossed. Something similar to fear flashed in her eyes, and then relaxed again.

"I'm glad you're here Felix," she whispered as she dozed off.

"Me too," I muttered, too low for her to hear.

I was tired of fighting my bizarre emotions. I simply surrendered, if only for a little while, and let myself truly enjoy the moment like I should have this afternoon. I pushed all the thoughts of the Volturi's possible reactions, the likelihood of this ending badly, and the only options of turn or die that she now had out of my mind.

I was pure and simply happy, more so than I've been in fourteen hundred years. I knew at that moment, something in me had fundamentally changed. If this girl was indeed turned, I would follow her anywhere, I would do anything for her,. My life wasn't about me or the Volturi anymore, it was all about Bella. My Bella.

I would not kill her, but the secret was too important to ignore. She was still in the human world, unlike Gianna, and leaving Bella alive and unchanged would mean both our lives would be forfeit. I could not allow that, not for my own life, but hers.

I reached the conclusion that had evaded me with utmost clarity, there was no choice, no option. I would have to change her and soon, within a few weeks at the most. I had no doubt I could change her, my venom ran through Demetri, Chelsea and Reneta. It was only a matter of when.

I began to think of a reasonable plan to fake her death or disappearance. It would be even more difficult because he was the chief of police, so she couldn't simply leave. He'd probably never stop looking for her. But if I made it look like she died, he'd want to see the body, no matter what state she was in. No newborn could handle staying perfectly still while surrounded by humans, our instincts were too strong. This was definitely a paradox.

I needed Demetri's help and I needed it right now. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and pressed Demetri's speed dial.

"Hello?" Demetri's voice came through the line, and I immediately relaxed. If I could count on one thing in this crazy, messed up day, it was Demetri.

"Hey, it's Felix. Where are you?" I whispered, so I wouldn't wake Bella up. Demetri did not need to know I was leaning quite comfortably against her wall. I decided I might actually want to go outside, just in case and I stepped out of the window.

"In the hotel. Why? Find something?" he asked, sounding a bit intrigued.

"So, I gather you haven't talked to Alec yet. Are you alone?" I hoped he was. It would be easier to discuss this problem without Alec and Jane overhearing. The fewer people that knew, the better.

"No, I haven't seen him since this morning. Jane and Alec were out hunting in Olympia last I heard. What's going on Felix?" He was very interested now, and I would have bet anything that he had no inkling of want I was about to say.

"Well, I sort of have a you and Heidi situation," I said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Wait, what?" I could just imagine his face from his tone, incredibly shocked and still not quite grasping what I was trying to tell him.

"I think I found her," I clarified.

"Felix, make some sense please." Demetri was not one to be dense, and I wondered if my own sense of insanity was bleeding through the phone.

"Listen, Demetri. I haven't been making sense all day! I was on my way to catch up with Alec and I came across this girl and -"

"Oh my God," Demetri interrupted me. I honestly could not tell how he meant that. Shocked? Yes, but with no indication of it being good or not.

"Uh, Demetri?" I finally said after a long pause.

"Congratulations brother!" he nearly shouted. I knew he thought I would never find someone, and he seemed fairly resigned to that. His excitement, even via cell phone, was infectious.

"Thanks! There is a slight problem though." 'Slight' was a vast understatement, and I only prayed he wouldn't react like I knew Jane would if she knew all the details. I would have to avoid her for years.

"Problem? Don't you dare tell me she's already mated!" Demetri couldn't even comprehend disloyalty to your mate. We had seen it happen once, when a man turned against his mate to save himself during a confrontation. We both had our suspicions about the man's true feelings for her, but it was honestly heartbreaking to watch.

"No. Well, sort of. I know he left her," I replied in a rush.

"What the hell do you mean 'sort of'? If he abandoned her, she's not mated. You know our kind never leave our mates, the bond is too strong. Although that's a really shitty thing to do."

"Yeah, I know. It's complicated. Beyond all realms of complicated, actually. Look, can you meet me? I rather discuss this in person, if you know what I mean." Neither one of us really liked Alec and Jane overhearing every detail of our lives. It was bad enough Aro did.

"Sure, head to Olympia. I'll be there in thirty minutes and I'll find you."

"Um...Actually, I need you to meet me here," I pleaded, begging him in my head not to start asking questions.

"Good God, Felix, you're the middle of nowhere," he sighed. "Fine, I'll be there in a couple hours. And you better have a damn good reason for me to haul my ass out there." I was the only person other than Heidi he would never refuse, and I have never been more thankful for that than right now.

"Trust me, there is, and I need your help. Don't ask, just track me down. And do not say a word to Alec and Jane if you talk to them," I said, my words cold as ice.

"That bad, huh?" he asked concerned, probably thinking about how his was going to bail me out.

"Man, you have no idea. See you soon," I chuckled.

"I'm already running brother." I could hear the smile in his voice.

I nearly crushed my phone by accident when I slammed it shut. This was quickly pushing me to the brink of insanity, and now I was dragging Demetri down with me, and he better enjoy the ride.

I climbed into Bella's bedroom again to make sure she was still sleeping, and if not, tell her I desperately needed to talk to someone, but I would only be a couple hundred yards away.

Any reservations I had about what must be done evaporated when I watched her sleeping. She was so beautiful, like an angel ready to save us all.

"Felix," she mumbled, as she flipped her head around to the other side of the pillow. I raised an eyebrow. She talked in her sleep? That was interesting, she was dreaming of me.

She uttered things I couldn't make out and I crossed the small space to sit on the edge of the bed. As I leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, she threw both arms around me, and would not let go. I muffled a chuckle. I could pry her off easily, but I didn't want to wake her, especially if I was going to step out and talk to Demetri.

I shook my head and sighed. I still had about two hours before Demetri showed up and I was positive I could get away before then, so I nestled in beside her for the time being. I knew might never get this chance again.

My self-imposed deadline approached much quicker than I liked, but I'd be back up here soon enough. I gingerly attempted to slide my arm from under her. She muttered my name a couple more times, my smile growing wider with each one, and thankfully shifted away from me on the tiny bed.

As soon as I was clear, I sighed and went to move off the bed, not wanting to jostle her at all. That didn't work out so well. Quicker than I figured a human could move, especially in a deep sleep, she practically threw herself over me. I was trapped. _Great._

I fervently hoped Bella was a very sound sleeper, as I debated the best way to get free before Demetri tracked me right to her room.

**A/N: And that's chapter two, and Felix has dragged Demetri into this, so I promise, that'll be interesting. I'm proofreading chapter three, and whatnot, so expect that soon. I have this completely written up to chapter 5, working on 6, and have outlines for 7, 8 and 9, so expect more characters to show up and some surprises. **

**Thanks for the love!**

**-Amanda**


	3. Problems

**A/N: And now I present to you, chapter three! There is a lot of conversation in this chapter, so bear with me. Enjoy!**

_**The Ghost of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_Problems_

"Damn, Felix! You weren't kidding!" Demetri snickered from the window sill. I was so wrapped up in trying to move Bella that I didn't notice him.

"Fucking Hell!" I breathed as I finally pulled away from her. "Come on, we need to talk."

I pushed him out of the window and followed a half-second later. We walked into the forest enough not to be seen, but where I could still hear Bella's heartbeat.

"Yes, we do. Give me one second, and then you can explain," Demetri said calmly. He took a deep breath and I knew what was coming. "What in the name of all that is good and holy are you thinking? She's mortal! Why for fuck's sake did I find her sleeping on you? You're bat-shit insane Felix!"

"Are you done?" I grinned.

"For now. Start explaining before I run far, far away." He acted irritated, but I knew him well enough to know he was more or less just straight baffled. And I couldn't agree more.

"As I already told you, I found her earlier. She was about to be killed by another vampire -"

"Anyone we know?"

"Actually, yes. Laurent, but he's dead," I said, a self-satisfied smile creeping across my face.

"HA! Well, he deserves it," he snorted.

I eyed him in amused agreement, my smile fading to a smirk

"He is, or was, an annoying little bastard. He kept staring at Heidi when we were in Moscow. Remember?" he replied, rolling his eyes.

"Of course. I've never seen you so pissed. Why didn't you hunt him down?"

"Long story, but in short, two words: Werewolves and Caius." Neither one of us understood Caius's obsession with werewolves and their eradication.

"Ah. Well, I was going to kill Bella -"

"Bella?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, perhaps a little shocked I was calling her by name already.

"Are you going to keep interrupting? Good. So, I killed him, ran her back to her truck, and I'm basically her bodyguard."

"Felix, man -" I figured he was about to say something along the lines of 'protect the secret' or asking why I'm protecting her.

"There's the thing, and shut your mouth until I'm done. She already knows, I'm certain of it. She was in love with one of the Cullens, and he left, like I said. I'm going to change her as soon as I can, but this isn't a simple 'change-and-run' thing. Her dad is the chief of police, and it would turn into a nation wide hunt for her, and there's no telling if the Cullens would get involved. Before you ask, no, he doesn't even know I'm here. We have to come up with something that he won't dig into, and that she'll accept. I know she'd want to hurt him as little as possible, and I'm not about to deny her that. So help me out bro." My words came out in a rush, so I could get to the point without dragging this out. I kind of wanted to get back to Bella.

"Wait, let me see if I've got this straight. She knows about us, she was with a Cullen, and you want to spare her dad's emotions. Am I right?" He asked incredulously.

"More or less," I shrugged

"And she's alright with the fact you hunt humans?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Uh...it never came up. Maybe my eyes gave it away?" I replied, kicking myself for not thinking of this sooner.

"Felix, she wouldn't be able to tell. Your eyes are black. This is a problem."

"A very big problem," I sighed. How could I have overlooked this? The Cullens were known for their bizarre lifestyle. Maybe that's why she was so comfortable around them.

"Before this goes one step further, you need to decide what you're going to do about this. I can only see four possibilities."

"And they are?"

"One," he held up one finger, "she's perfectly fine with our prey. Problem solved."

"But if she's been around them, she very well might not be," I groaned as I realized where this was going.

"Exactly. Two," raising another finger, "you accept that she won't hunt humans and live off animals." He shuddered as he considered that thought.

"That's very doable. As long as she's alright with me still hunting."

"Three," he sighed, knowing I wasn't going to like this, "you change your feeding habits for her. I know it's a huge sacrifice and insane to boot, but love makes you do insane things."

"Bah," I scoffed then pursed my lips, mulling over the idea. "But you're right. Love does make you do crazy stuff. And I'm a prime example."

"Told you," he grinned. "Therefore, number four isn't even worth mentioning, since you won't allow it."

A viscous growl directed at Demetri for even thinking about killing Bella instinctively rose in my chest and into the night air. Rage filled every cell in my body.

"Whoa! Relax! I'm not suggesting it, I know how you feel," Demetri raised his hands and backed up.

"Then why did you bring it up?" I snarled.

"Seriously Felix! Calm down! You know I didn't mean anything by it!"

I relaxed a bit, but I was still furious. "You're right, I'd never allow it, so it's a non-issue," I sneered.

"Exactly. So we need to come up with a plan, right? I've got your back brother," he said as he clapped me on the shoulder.

"Meaning you have a plan or you're going to think of something?"

"Simple. I have one. Remember Scott? His father was deeply connected to Interpol. If we can handle Interpol, a small town cop is nothing to worry about."

"Very true. Call Jane and tell them to go back without us. I rather not have them involved."

"I second that," Demetri chuckled and already had the phone to his ear.

I would have gone instantly back to Bella, but I wanted to hear this conversation. Jane's reaction would determine how much time we had to execute this little scheme of ours.

"Hey Jane," he greeted her, sounding more upbeat than he probably was.

"Hello. What do you need, Demetri?" Her tone wasn't sharp, but wasn't pleasant either.

"What's happened kitty cat?"

"The airport is giving us some issues about the plane," she sighed. I was relieved we were not the cause of her mood.

"Pay them off, simple."

"I've tried. The man's a goody-two-shoes. I believe we will just have to run for it as soon as you get back."

"Just leave now. Felix and I will handle the airport. Who's the man?"

"Simon Langer," she hissed. "Are you sure? You'll have to find your own way home."

"Jane, really? That's a problem for us?" he replied in a mock-condescending way.

"I guess not. When should I tell Aro and Heidi to expect you?"

"Not long. A week or two at most."

"Alright. Take care Demetri, and send Felix my regards."

"Will do. Bye Jane." He shut the phone. "Well, that was easy."

"I'm surprised actually. She must be sick of Seattle."

"Oh, she is. She wouldn't stop bitching this morning."

"What? The sadistic vamp disappointed we had nothing to do?" I scoffed

"More or less. I wish she could grow up a little. Maybe we should be finding her a mate too."

I snorted. "Frozen at fifteen. Somehow, I doubt that's going to happen, unless Aro agrees to change another so young."

"You're lucky though, she adores you." Jane and I had a close brother/sister relationship since I changed her. She loved Demetri too, but he was like the brother she would just as soon attack as give him a hug, depending on her mood.

"Yeah, maybe I should have called."

"I can't tell you how much I agree. But at least I won't be hiding from her wrath for the next five years. Heidi had to talk her down last time."

"No kidding, I remember." I shivered at the power of Jane's gift.

"Man, you have no idea. That shit _hurts_! Think pain of the change."

"I know," I said flatly.

"What?" he asked wide-eyed.

"I got curious one day, the day she did Aro." I shrugged, I didn't think it was such a huge deal.

"Before or after?"

"Oh, before!" I chuckled.

"You've got one hell of a badass complex, man," he laughed and shook his head.

"I deserve it," I shrugged

"Hell yes, you do. And to be fair, so do I."

"Exactly," I grinned. "Only the best for the Vol-" I was cut off mid-sentence by blood-curdling screaming. I knew the voice the moment I heard it. I turned and bolted straight towards the house and into her room. Demetri was right on my heels

In a couple of seconds it took to run the distance, she had already stopped screaming. She was sitting up with her head in her hands.

I was perplexed, there was no scent of anyone new other than Demetri, and her father continued snoring. Did this happen often?

"Bella? Are you alright?" I asked concerned. Demetri shot me a look, and I realized how out of character this kind of thing was for me.

"Yeah, sorry. Nightmare," she gasped, trying to calm down.

"It must have been bad. That scream could wake the dead." Demetri smirked from behind.

Bella froze solid and I glared at Demetri.

"My name's Demetri. I'm a good friend of Felix. Calm down, Bella, I won't hurt you either." Demetri's voice was silky smooth and sweet. If I didn't know better, it would have made me angry, but he was good at getting humans not to panic so much.

"More like a brother, actually," I said as I walked to bed to wrap my arm around her. Demetri's eyes had never been so wide. I couldn't help but grin. "We've known each other for over a millennium. I actually changed him."

Bella just nodded and gave a small wave, still trying to catch her breath.

"You don't need to be afraid of us Bella." I knew we were basically straight out of nightmares for most, but Bella didn't seem to think so.

"It wasn't about you, Felix. It was about..." she starting gasping for breath again.

"He really reaped havoc, didn't he?"

"That's putting it mildly," she murmured.

"Felix, I believe you have crossed the threshold into full blown psychosis," Demetri chuckled, looking at me in amused disbelief.

"I came to that conclusion long ago, brother," I said, into Bella's hair.

"That proves my point." He waved his hand in our general direction.

"What?" Bella asked as she snuggled closer into my chest.

"Another time, sweetheart. You have too much to deal with as is," I said, smiling slightly.

"Sweetheart? If she hasn't figured it out by now..." Demetri pasted a knowing smile on his face. Did really have to say that?

Bella pulled away from me a bit, and that was the last thing I wanted. _Damn Demetri!_

She looked up at Demetri first with an overdone mock-shocked gasp, and then returned the same knowing smile.

"Wait, what?" I stared at her incredulously. I knew I had let a couple things slip, like 'Beautiful' and 'Sweetheart', and some of my actions weren't much better. But how could she have figured this out already? And more importantly, why was she still here if she knew? Trying to spare my feelings?

Bella's chocolate eyes softened to the point I could stare into them forever, literally. She shifted her body, leaned up and kissed me with indescribably soft lips. It only lasted half a second, but she had pushed me beyond the point of no return, and I willingly let her. I could only look at her wearing a rather surprised smile.

"Holy hell, Bella!" Demetri whispered and she quickly turned scarlet red. For any normal vampire, it would be very hard, if not impossible, to resist, but years and years in the Volturi had strengthened our self-control to god-like limits.

"Sorry. I needed to do that," she said, becoming the most bashful I'd seen yet.

"Don't apologize. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all." I couldn't seem to decrease my smile in the slightest.

"Really? Is it possible?" Bella asked, her eyes full of wonder and a small bit of fear. I assumed the fear was because she thought I might reject her. Not a chance.

"Yes, it is. Pure and simple, Bella."

"Hold on just a second. Are you two absolutely positive you're thinking the same thing?" Demetri asked from the corner, desperately hoping he wasn't going to witness his best friend turn out like Marcus in just a few short words. I had to admit, if she rejected me, I would have.

Demetri and I knew each other so well, we could almost always tell what the other was thinking or feeling at any given time. This was one of those times I never needed that closeness more.

"Bella, if you want me, I'm yours. Forever."

Her face was indescribable, instantly frozen in a moment of overwhelming emotion.

"Forever?" she breathed. Seriously? I'm immortal and I couldn't bear her not being with me for eternity. There was no second option.

"Yes, Bella. Forever."

"Man, it sounds like your proposing," Demetri chuckled. I raised an eyebrow at him and he shut up very quickly.

"Are you proposing?" Bella asked, her eyes were huge. Her face wasn't easy to read at all. I decided to put it all out here and let the pieces fall where they made.

"I think he is, but there's a dilemma with that. We haven't addressed the million dollar question though."

I became a statue. Of all the unanswered questions, this was the one huge 'what if' I haven't even considered. Just because many of us loved being immortal or came to accept it at least, didn't mean we all did. She was so strange for a human she might not want this, and rather die. Could I bring myself to change her knowing she might never forgive me? I silently pleaded to whatever god was up there that she would want immortality. If she didn't, Demetri might as will kill us both right then and there.

"My immortality," she stated. It wasn't a question and had no indication of dread or want. She had the same tone of someone answering a question about the time.

"Yes." I couldn't force any sort of emotion into my voice. I realized with her next words, she would seal both of our fates.

She bit her bottom lip and looked at her hands for a few seconds. Time was passing impossibility slowly as she raised her eyes to meet mine again. Without any warning, she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me so passionately I had serious trouble restraining myself enough that I wouldn't accidentally kill her.

"Congratulations Bro!" Demetri beamed. "Looks like we have some planning to do."

"When?" I asked, finally breaking the kiss. I was highly amused and happy I quite literally took her breath away.

"I'm the wrong person to be asking that, man."

"I wasn't talking to you Demetri. I was asking the beautiful girl in my arms." I could not be happier as I smiled down at her. "What did you have planned today?"

"I had school, but I don't think I'll be going now. But Charlie's going to be waking up soon, so be prepared to split at a second's notice in case he checks on me."

"We'll be ready, Bella," Demetri smiled.

"Your father is the chief of police, correct?" I asked, attempting to figure out if we could indeed pull this together in one day.

"Yeah," she sighed. "This is going to be hard. I don't want to hurt him, or my mom, but I know I don't have a choice. I just wish I could give him some closure."

"Well, we have a plan, sort of," I told her. "I think it's best if we leave the details up to you, since you know your father best. Essentially what we'll do is fake your death, so he won't look for you."

"I see," she said, sinking into thought, along with Demetri and I.

A few minutes later, sure enough, Charlie came to check on her before going to work. She wasn't that good of an actress trying to fake being asleep, and Demetri had a good laugh about that.

"How much evidence of a death do you need to make it obvious I'm not coming back, but with no body?"

"No body? Hmm..." Demetri mused.

"Don't even tell me you would kill an innocent person just to change me!" Bella nearly yelled. She looked livid and honestly would be terrifying if I was human.

"Demetri, help!" I murmured, not moving my lips, and too fast and low for Bella to hear. Mercifully, she was looking at Demetri on her left and not me on her right.

"No! Sorry, Bella, I didn't mean it like that. I was thinking of using you after the change, or closed-casket or something, but your father will probably want to see the body regardless of the consequences. Forgive me, I think out loud sometimes," he quickly corrected. He glanced quickly at me, meaning 'you owe me', but maintained the perfect look of shock and horror at Bella's accusation.

"Oh, right. Sorry." She blushed and smiled apologetically.

"The question is, Bella, what are you willing to do and what would be plausible?" I asked her.

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. I could tell she was thinking about something particularly unpleasant. I had a feeling of what she was thinking, but I was surprised to find even the thought of faking her death hurt.

"This is going to be difficult, I think, but I might have a plan. And considering the state I've been in the last few days, he can make his own conclusions. I've been wanting to go cliff diving for a while. I'll have to find another place than where I wanted to go though. I'll park my truck nearby, and make sure some scrap of clothing washes up on shore."

Her words shot right through to my unbeating heart. If she really was so broken before I came, it should work, but I hated the the thought. Before I could even bring myself to respond, Demetri was already on it, ever the logistical one.

"You want to make it look like you jumped? That's plausible, and bodies don't always resurface and aren't found. I actually know a place. I found it when I was hunting for something a couple days ago. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes." Her answer was plain, simple and resolved. She wasn't going to back out now.

"Alright, Demetri, you ride with her in her truck and I'll follow on foot," I sighed. I didn't want Bella to leave my side, but there was no way for all three of us to fit in her truck without us all being on top of each other.

She silently rose from the bed, and put a couple change of clothes, some books and a couple personal mementos in her cleaned-out school bag. She also retrieved her passport and a sizable wad of money and shoved them and her wallet into the front pocket of the bag.

I was completely overwhelmed that this beautiful, strange human would agree to this so quickly. I thought it would take weeks to convince her.

The ride was uneventful, with us all lost in our thoughts. Demetri was annoyed by the truck's self-imposed speed limit, as his constant sighs proved. I left a steady trail of fleeing animals behind me, and Bella was nearly completely unemotional once we arrived in the middle of nowhere at a tall cliff off the side of the highway. I had all but shut down during my run. This was more complex than most, and I had never been so attached to the situation.

Demetri took the shirt Bella had given him that Charlie would recognize, shredded it and jumped into the water. It was rather convincing. I decided to call in the truck as a road hazard so this would all be over as soon as possible.

"Bella, we're going to go to northern Canada to change you. It'll take a few hours if we run and I carry you. Is that alright with you?" I wanted to make this as easy as possible for her, although I knew it would be anything but.

She pursed her lips, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Just bite me now. I know it takes days, and I'm not much of a masochist, so I want to get it over with as soon as possible."

She knew more than I thought. Maybe that was why she was so accepting of becoming a vampire.

"Demetri?" I asked, looking worried.

"NO! I want you to Felix, if you can," she pleaded. It sent a surge of pride through me to know she wanted my venom to change her. And change her I would.

"That's not what I meant, Bella," I smiled at her, taking no care to hide my teeth. It was my first full genuine smile in some time. "I was simply asking for his opinion." I wrapped my arms around her, my love for her growing by the second.

"I don't see why not, Felix. Worst case scenario we can just avoid any human settlements. There's a a lot of forest between here and there and I doubt we'll be noticed," he shrugged.

"Holy shit!" Demetri exclaimed, looking in complete shock at Bella, who jumped at the sudden noise.

"What? What's wrong?" I demanded. Demetri was technically ranked higher than me, but we considered ourselves on equal footing.

"I can't track her!" he nearly shouted.

"WHAT?" I was just as confused as he was. How could he not track her?

"I can't feel her mind at all! I never thought to track her instead of you, but I figured after she's changed, we might have to track her down if she bolted for some reason. She's untrackable." He stared in awe.

"My mind is sort of private, I guess. He couldn't read my mind either," she said, blushing. Demetri and I both knew she was referring to Edward. Aro would be incredibly interested to know about his supposed ability.

"Bella, you have an amazing gift there. I wonder if it works on all mental powers," Demetri mused. "If so, Jane nor Alec would have any affect. And I doubt Aro would either."

"Wow," I whispered, it was all I could say. If her human mind could block a mind-reader and Demetri's ability, as a vampire she could be immensely powerful.

"It's late afternoon, Felix," Demetri reminded me. We wanted to be at the lodge before dawn.

"So, let's do this," she said with a strange mix of grave and excitement.

I kissed her once again and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I love you Bella."

"You have my heart, Felix," she whispered in return. Her words melted me to the core.

I swiftly sank my teeth into her neck and licked to wound to seal it. She gasped, and I laid her on the ground to put more venom in her system. I knew multiple bites made the change faster. A few seconds later, she went completely still, almost like someone switched her off. The only movement came when she clenched her jaw.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. It'll will be over soon and we'll have eternity together," I whispered as I picked her up in my arms. "Demetri, get her bag."

I started running, taking care not to move her as much as I could. Demetri caught up to me quickly, and we raced off to Canada.

**A/N: So, Bella is changing, and has disappeared. Felix finally told her he loved her, and Demetri is stuck in the middle of this little scheme. Hoped you liked it, and chapter four will follow shortly. Also, sorry if there's some obvious typos, I did proofread it a few times, but I'm sort of dealing with a killer mirgraine.**


	4. Everything Changes

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! This chapter is for you, Jee007, Silke, i_am_ms_emmett_cullen, Kathy Hiester, isis70, xoxfiaxox, and civilgurl with a bag of cookies and hugs! You guys make me all giddy!**

**Most of it is Demetri and Felix talking, banter with those two is fun to write. :)**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_Everything Changes_

Amazingly, Bella was quiet and still most of the trip. If I didn't know better, I would think I was carrying a corpse, but her heart was going stronger than I had ever heard. She only started to shiver in northern British Columbia. I shifted her in my arms to remove my cloak and wrap it around her. I knew she wouldn't feel the cold, but her body could still succumb to the effects of it, and we had come too far to let her heart stop from hypothermia.

"So why did you decide on Canada?" Demetri asked as we weaved between the trees lightning fast.

"I was thinking about the options you gave me earlier, specially about animals. And I figured the lodge is close enough either way. I won't tempt her to do something she doesn't want to do." I was trying to be subtle about the human versus animal diet, in case Bella could hear us, although she was probably in too much agony to pay attention.

I hated myself for subjecting her to this intolerable pain. At the same time, I was glad to do it, knowing she would be mine forever, and I would follow her to the ends of the earth.

"Nice planning! There's quite a few polar bears in the region," Demetri said, then started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Imagine Bella taking down a polar bear!" he exclaimed between loud guffaws. I burst out laughing too at the thought of seeing my little Bella battle a bear that was larger than I was. It was quite comical, and I actually hoped she would want to try a polar bear just so I could watch. Apparently Demetri wanted to as well.

By sunrise the following morning, we arrived at the small lodge perched on the edge of the Arctic Ocean Heidi bought Demetri for their anniversary. They had a couple places like this all over the globe, but this was a favorite due to the weather, remoteness and that only the three of us knew about it. I was allowed in on the secret because I helped Heidi build it. Also, it was the only one that didn't need to be rebuilt yet, due to 'unnecessary roughness', as Demetri put it, though he hardly thought it was unnecessary, just unavoidable.

"I need to hunt, Felix," Demetri declared an hour after the sun set. His eyes were almost as dark as mine.

"Can you wait until after?" I asked, hoping my quick glances to Bella and him would tell him why.

"I rather not, but I will. I guess I'll have to tackle a damn bear," he grumbled.

Earlier in hushed whispers, spoken in Italian, we had discussed the plan if Bella rather hunt animals. I had decided I would follow her lead. If she preferred to hunt wildlife, I would at least put forth a serious effort. I also asked Demetri to keep quiet about our natural diet as long as possible so I could hopefully have the chance to show Bella I would change for her. We could let our eyes change together.

All this thinking about changing for her brought up another concern. I had no idea if she knew about the Volturi, but what would I do if she did not want to join us? I couldn't see why anyone would not wish to become part of the guard, but it had happened once or twice, before my time. I had a choice to make, and I had to let her know my decision, whether she could push aside the pain to hear me or not. I needed to make my intentions known.

"Bella, if you can hear me, I need to let you know something important. We have some things to decide together when you awaken to immortality. You mean everything to me, and I swear to you, I will never leave you, and I will follow you anywhere Bells. I am yours for eternity," I whispered in her ear.

"Bells? Where did you get that?" Demetri smirked.

"Her father called her Bells yesterday. It just seemed like a nice little nickname for her. Although I'll call her whatever she wants me to." I shrugged, not taking my eyes off her perfect face which was slowing fading of color.

"And what if she gives you a nickname, Lix?" he chuckled, knowing how 'Lix' annoyed me.

"I don't think I'd have a problem with it, coming from my mate and 'Pookie Bear'," I smirked, referencing Heidi's pet name, and tossed the coffee table at him with a flick of my wrist. He quickly stepped to the side, and grabbed the flying wood with his hand, holding the two-hundred-pound of solid walnut aloft.

"Where did you hear that? Don't tell me she told you." His face was a mask of shock and embarrassment. I couldn't hold back my laughter.

"You have the suite next to mine, and you two aren't as quiet as you think you are sometimes. Remember after you got together I went to share Jane's room for three years?"

"That's why you moved?" He was completely mortified now.

"Yeah, it was nauseating!" I chucked. "Even Aro asked me to try and get you to tone it down. Caius was all for booting you to the countryside."

"I heard about Caius. Jane sent Alec in one day for some quiet while she was reading. You want to talk about going ballistic! There Heidi and I were and suddenly, everything was gone. It's quite unnerving." He shivered at the memory.

"Jane sent Alec? Why didn't she just come herself? And where was I?" I've never heard about this before.

"She was avoiding me, per Heidi's request, after I tossed her off the boat in 1546," he spit out between fits of uncontrollable laughter.

"She was furious about that! I can just imagine her frolicking in the water like a kitten in a puddle! She really shouldn't have killed the captain though, but she was only a couple years old, what did you expect?" I had to fight to get a grip on myself. His laugh was infectious, more so than ever.

"I didn't expect to sail the damn ship! I didn't know the area and sank the thing on a damn sandbar! We did feast that day though," he grinned.

"Only to spend three weeks at sea attempting to swim from the Indian Ocean to Italy! I still don't see why you didn't just cross on land."

"Too much sun. And there are a few we have bad blood with, no pun intended, between the two places."

" Ah, yes. The Romanians controlled most of that territory. If they decided to fight, with Jane as raw as she was..."

"Exactly, no Demetri and no Jane," he smirked. They still had a few allies back then, and there's no way we could have won if they found us. I would have just tracked them and stayed out of their way, but with Jane as stubborn and cocky as she is, it would have been impossible regardless."

"I always wondered about that, although I figured you had your reasons. She's almost as cocky as I am," I laughed.

"Yeah, glad you finally found the one person would can bring you down a notch," he snickered, knowing he was right. "Bella'll put you through hell, but I promise it's all worth it in the end."

"I guessed as much. Hey, come with me for a second." I motioned for him to follow and keep quiet as I flew out the door, far enough away that even a vampire listening from the house wouldn't overhear us.

"What? Discussing the diet again?" he scoffed, smirking at his disbelief of my willingness to adapt whatever choice she made.

"You would do anything for me right? Like I would do anything for you," I raised my eyebrow, hoping to get an answer before he figured out my intentions.

"Yes, of course I would..." he said slowly, his mind running a million miles an hour. A second later, I saw him grimace as it clicked. "Damnit, Felix! Why did you have to ask this of me?"

"What? I haven't said anything yet," I feinted innocence.

"I know exactly what you're about to ask." He narrowed eyes dangerously at me. "You know, you've not only gone completely insane, but you've hijacked the entire goddamn asylum!"

"Good Lord, man, that glare epitomizes 'if looks could kill'! All I'm asking is for a while, until I can get a grip on it. I need someone I can talk too, who understands, like a quitting buddy. And if Bella jumps on the wagon right off the bat, which I'm thinking is more and more likely, it's going to be hard for her to sympathize. I begging you brother, I'll owe you anything!"

He growled and punched a nearby tree, sending it flying into the sparse forest. "Owing me anything is an understatement, I'll fucking have your soul for this."

"Alright!" I smiled. "Just nothing that comes between Bella and me."

"Felix, you know I would never drop to that level," he scoffed, still glaring. "Felix, do you understand how major of an issue this is? We have to let Aro know before we arrive if this is the case. We don't want or need any undue static."

"You really think it could cause that much unrest?" I asked surprised.

"No one has ever changed like that in the Volturi. Carlisle is the only who to practiced it while he was there and Eleazar didn't until he moved on with Carmen. We're two of the most respected members, Felix. It's bound to cause a little uproar, especially with Caius, unless Aro can calm him first." He was worried about the backlash, that much was obvious, and concerned about how Heidi would react. She was our main fisher after all.

"Who's the most likely to follow suit, other than Heidi?"

"Heidi might, and only, ONLY, because of me. Chelsea is the next one," he said, fairly business like, although he was ready for my surprise.

"Chelsea? Why would she-"

"You probably don't know this, but you know how she breaks the bindings of covens on trial?"

"Yeah," I said, trying to sort this out in my mind.

"Her gift works the opposite way as well. I can't be certain, but perhaps that's why we're all so loyal to the Volturi. She told me that little detail of her power a few decades ago. She's been...conflicted, about her position for some time. It all works out for her since Aro never touches her. But you understand the uproar this could have, if in the remote chance, that Bella doesn't want to stay. With her gift, I wouldn't doubt she would be unswayed by Chelsea, and if she leaves, you will too, like Carmen and Eleazar. If Chelsea sees an out -"

"She'll follow us, and the loyal bindings of the Volturi will fall apart," I whispered gravely. "This is...wow."

"Wow doesn't cover it. We could be the start of a full scale collapse. Notice how you and me tend to branch off whenever we go on a mission? I think it's because Chelsea isn't around us. Everyone assumes it's homesickness, but remember how rough things got during the Southern Wars in the few battles Chelsea wasn't there for?"

"Oh God. Demetri...You know if Bella and I leave and Chelsea follows..." I couldn't finish. Our death at the hands of our old masters was an intolerable thought. Aro would be disheartened, Marcus would be too apathetic for words, but Caius was the problem. Caius was beyond bloodthirsty, even for his own. That cruel bastard. I could not allow Bella anywhere near him. "I can't go back."

"They'll send me to track you down. And the Ancients aren't stupid enough to threaten my life if I don't comply..."

"Heidi. God, how did this get so fucked up? We were just talking about changing diets for a while, and now we're-"

"Discussing essentially committing treason. Felix, you know I won't betray you like that, but if they threaten Heidi..I..I..."

"I understand. If, and 'if' is the keyword, Bella chooses the alternative diet and doesn't want to join the guard, I can't even risk going back," I choked. If my entire world had been turned upside down the past couple days, it had been burnt to the ground now.

"No, Felix. It's worse than that," Demetri mumbled, like he was confessing to a horrid crime.

"Worse? How so?" I had been able to follow his train of thought throughout most of this bleak chat, but surely nothing could be worse than losing my mate after giving up hope of finding her at all at the hands of the people I had dedicated my entire existence to.

"Really Felix? You can't see what this conversation alone means?"

The wheels of my mind were turning, but all I could think about was Bella and her future. I shook my head.

"None of us can go back. If you don't return, and Aro touches me, and he will because Jane and Alec know I'm with you, he'll know not only about Bella's potential, but your choice to follow her, this discussion, Chelsea, and everything else. You'll be hunted the moment he finds out, Chelsea will be ash, and I'll have no choice because of Heidi."

"Holy shit. You're right," I whispered. Everything was in a tail spin. "We're banished and you need to get both Heidi and Chelsea out, before..."

"Exactly. Heidi is going on a fishing trip when Jane gets back, but I might be able to get Chelsea to pass a message to her. They're like sisters, and I doubt Aro would have an issue with what appears to be her helping with the fishing. I'll have them meet us, and we'll start over. They have no tracker now, and the only one who I'm aware of who could find us would be Alistair, and you know he's still running scared from Aro," he said rapidly, in full planning mode.

"And I'm sure Heidi can retrieve all our personal effects without suspicion, especially with Chelsea's assistance. We'll need help though, not only with the animal thing, but we have no connections outside the Volturi. Eleazar might be willing to help us."

"Are you really ready to do this? Once I make this call, there is no going back, and we'll always have to be on guard until we know for sure how they will react."

I could only nod, my life was falling apart and I was actively tearing it down. Demetri's mind was set, but I felt immensely guilty for setting this all in motion because I couldn't leave Bella alone.

"Chelsea? Are you alone?" He whispered into the phone. I couldn't will myself to let him have this important call in private, not that he minded. Too much rested on the outcome.

"Why, hello Demetri. Yes. But if I may ask, why?" Confusion seemed to be a common theme lately, although she sounded upbeat.

"Just keep your answers generic in case someone overhears you. Do you recall that night you came to me with something on your mind the same year World War Two ended?" It was stupid to word a question like that, of course she would remember.

"Yes," she breathed, all signs of cheerfulness vanished.

"I believe the time has come to make a choice. I can't explain right now, but if you wish to follow through, bring Heidi and anything you will not leave behind. Tell Heidi to bring the same, and for Felix and myself. Go to Longyear, Svalbard, and call me when you arrive. You will not be returning."

"Are you certain? Is this really the end?"

"I believe it is, and we must rely on each other. We have more enemies than we realize."

"Right. But wouldn't you rather tell Heidi yourself?"

"Is she nearby? I do need to speak with her if you can find her quickly."

"Yes, just a moment, Demetri. She hasn't left yet."

I heard the wind rushing past the phone as she swept through the castle, picking up snippets of voices as she passed. Heidi's voice greeted Chelsea and Demetri took a deep breath.

I turned to leave, allowing Demetri to speak to his wife alone. He grabbed my arm and shook his head, asking me to stay. Whatever he was about to tell her, he wanted me to hear too.

"Hello?" Heidi's voiced flowered with seductiveness, her natural tone.

"Hey, Beautiful. It's me," Demetri cooed, happier than I had seen him since we left over two weeks ago.

"Why didn't Chels say it was you! I miss you Sparky!"

I heard Chelsea giggle as my uncontrolled snickers wracked my body. Demetri rolled his eyes and mouthed 'You just wait brother.'

"I miss you and I love you my Princess. Listen, can you do me a favor?" he said as if he would be asking her to record the game on television for him. I didn't know what he would tell her, if anything, but she couldn't know how everything was about to change.

"Of course baby. I love it when you call me your Princess."

I never understood all the silly nicknames, but I did now. I would rarely even call Bella by her given name again, if ever.

"I ordered you a simple cocktail dress in Longyear, Svalbard, at a little shop called the King of Wishful Thinking, I'm putting together a small party for Felix and his new mate and our closest friends. No need to bring anything except your sexy self and the dress, Chelsea of course too. And anyone you wish to invite." There was a long pause, over a minute of nothing but silence. "Sweetheart?"

"How wonderful. Give my congratulations to Felix. I'll call you and let you know how the dress turned out love," she said very strained but trying to maintain her earlier tone. She knew. Her words quickly lost any hint of brightness and turned despairingly grave, "Love, Chelsea and I will be on our way within the hour. Do I need to bring your tuxedo and Felix's too?"

"If you can with my red tie. Felix's is in a small chest in the corner of his room. It will fit into a bag you'll find at the bottom of his wardrobe. We'll match perfectly, it's the same shade of crimson as the one you wore on our one hundredth anniversary."

It suddenly hit me, it was all code, a warning they had worked out years ago. He was telling her to pick up my few possessions I did not want to leave behind. Thankfully, I told him about the location years ago, and I didn't like change, at least until Bella came along. Change was the one thing that terrified me, fourteen hundred years of the same Felix and now I wasn't sure who I was anymore.

"Alright, I'm headed to his quarters now, along with Chels. She wants to speak with you again."

"Demetri, there's someone I'm inviting to the party," Chelsea said very excited. She had picked up on the secret language. It appeared we would be having quite a 'party'.

"Who would that be Chelsea? I was not aware you were looking at anyone in the guard." He was as surprised as I was. We could only pray it wasn't someone Aro would give his right arm to keep.

"I rather not say just yet, but I promise they will follow me anywhere. It's been impossible to be open about our relationship because Aro demanded it be kept a secret."

This was not good. Aro would only ask something as serious as that if it would cause problems within the guard. This was quickly becoming a full-blown defection.

"Do what you must, but the get together will be very quiet and, um, exclusive. If they will not be coming, don't tell, we don't want to offend anyone. Are we clear?" He was more than concerned now.

"Crystal. We'll call when we reach France, I'll get directions from Heidi after I talk to my guest."

"Take care Chels, talk to you soon." He shut the phone and dropped his head.

"Okay, Demetri explain all that, right now. I got the general gist, but I don't want or need to be blindsided here," I pleaded, worrying beyond reason about Bella being thrown into a likely struggle of this magnitude.

"Alright," he sighed. "You had your time to explain two days ago. Let me finish before you fly off the handle and try to tear me apart."

"You really think anything you could tell me at this point is capable of bringing that level of violence?" I asked incredulously.

"I highly doubt it, but you have been slightly insane lately," he smirked.

"I'll try to keep an open-mind," I said grinning and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, after the fiasco with Sadie..."

"I think that shook most of us up and gave us all a healthy fear of Caius. " I shivered at the memory.

"Tell me about it. I still carry the guilt of her death. It's on my hands." He shook his head slightly.

"Mine too. That's one thing I will never forgive myself for. We were just following orders, but still. She was a sweet girl. It was incredibly cruel, and in front of all whole guard too."

Sadie was one of the few events in our history of the guard that had lasting effects. Caius had her executed by Demetri and I, although she had done nothing wrong, in my eyes. She had simply failed to follow a werewolf trail, after she and her sister were attacked during a hunting trip. Her sister was destroyed, and she knew she would only die as well if she tried to kill it herself. Sadie failed to return with any humans because of her grief, but also was seeking help with the scourge. Caius was angry enough about not sating his thirst, but when he heard what had happened, and that she had not chased the monster alone, he sentenced her to die without a second thought.

"Everyone thought so, that's why we were forbidden to even mention it. Aro didn't want it to cause us to question the Ancients, at least that's what Renata told me once," he said quietly.

"She knows as much about the inner workings of the Volturi as the Masters do, so that makes sense."

"Exactly, after she told me that Aro made the silence edict about the whole event," he said as he sighed, putting the pieces together and realizing this was a really big deal, just as I was.

"That explains a lot. Renata rarely said a word after the edict," I mused and pursed my lips. We began to understand the full force of influence Aro had, to change someone who was very talkative and friendly into a virtual mute.

"Back to the point, I told Heidi about Sadie, since it was before her time, after she asked me why Renata was so withdrawn. She kept asking questions and one thing led to another, eventually I told her the whole story," he said, like he was explaining to a superior instead of his best friend.

"Well, Heidi got understandably nervous about me doing something that would land me in the same position. We came up with a plan, and thankfully, since Aro never touched us, we were able to keep it a secret. He never needed special information from Heidi, and my loyalty has been proven time and time again, so he eventually saw no reason to read my thoughts because they were basically same thing, different day. That's the same reason he never touches you too. Remember where we went on our honeymoon?"

"North of Svalbard. You wanted to show Heidi the stars during the polar night." Puzzle pieces began to form more rapidly.

"We worked out a code, that would sound completely innocent to anyone listening. Even Aro wouldn't question it, I hoped so anyway. Think about it, if you didn't know there was a problem, would you have realized something was amiss?"

"Did you expect something like this to happen?" I asked, disbelief twisting my face and my voice.

"No! Never! Honestly, I simply did it to make Heidi feel better, and she knew that. That's why she responded the way she did. She knew if it was ever said, something big and dangerous had happened or was about to. So when I told her I ordered her a cocktail dress, I was telling her that we did have a problem. The garment that I 'ordered' indicated how big of a problem."

"So if you would have said a ballroom gown?"

"I would have been in a situation that would have meant my instant death sentence and her as well," he said as if he were staring his executioner in the face. "A_ simple_ cocktail dress basically meant that we have a serious problem, that could have some very unpleasant ramifications, but we don't have all the details just yet. We don't know how everyone will react yet, and no one will know we've left until we are all safely together and have plan. We will have to let them know before too long."

"What about the rest? The party?"

"Ah, saying the dress was at a store called 'The King of Wishful Thinking' told her we had to leave for good. Don't ask, that was Heidi's term. The party meant there would be more than just the two of us, and I said it was for you and Bella, meaning you're behind us. And Heidi stating she would call me and tell me how the dress was indicated she understood the gravity of the situation and that she still had questions, which she would talk to me about later. The thing about it being the same color as the dress she wore on our anniversary told her to come here."

"That's what I thought. What about Chelsea and going to France?"

"I think Chelsea meant she knew the seriousness of the situation and would follow Heidi's lead unquestionably. And the invitation only meant, of course-"

"Don't tell anyone who's not going. At least you managed to get our things. I glad you two came up with this."

"Me too. I'm just very disheartened that it's needed at all."

"Agreed, it feels like everything has been skewed from how I thought it was."

"I assume I never gave much credence to the thought of them controlling us so completely until I began to think all this through and talk it out with you. Honestly, I'm sort of glad, I probably would have never connected the dots if it wasn't for you finding Bella."

"I know, neither would I have. I still believe in our purpose, but if they might be a threat simply for something as petty as changing the way we feed..." I whispered, beginning to question everything I knew about the Volturi.

"Then who knows what the Masters might be capable of. We both know the Volturi don't fight fair, and there's no reason to, we keep the law. And it's our loyalty to Aro, Caius and Marcus that keep us all more or less subservient. But all things considered, if what I suspect about Chelsea is in fact true, I have reason to believe the entire Volturi might fall apart."

We began to walk back to the lodge. Bella's heartbeat was slowly become faster as the venom spread.

"Still don't understand how hunting habits could create this level of defection though," I said as I shut the door.

"Simple. Anything different is a threat, especially to Caius, and like I said, since we're two of the high ranking members, it's going to cause a stir among the rest. Imagine if Marcus suddenly wasn't so apathetic all the time."

"Oh dear God," I breathed, wide-eyed.

"Vast understatement. I doubt God Himself could help us now if Caius decides we're guilty of treason."

"Which he would," I said as I dropped my face into my hands.

"Unless, Aro thinks he could get us back, and he would only really care about myself and Chelsea, possibility Bella. Heidi's easy to replace, she's only there because of me. And well, there are other fighters out there. You're by far the best, but you're not one of a kind."

"Neither are you," I scoffed although I knew he was right.

"No, but I'm the only one who can track something anywhere in the world and without knowing specifically what it is. Alistair can't even boast that. Aro gave up his pursuit of him after he found me. I'm a million times better than he is."

"Why in the hell did you never tell me all this? All the things you've been keeping from me? I thought I was your brother!" I was furious, not necessarily at him, but at the situation. I just happened to take it out on Demetri.

"It never came up! Honestly! Either I thought it wasn't important or Aro asked me to keep it quiet! And I know you understand about the things Heidi and I discussed and even Chelsea! Don't you even think about blaming me! Blame the damn polar bears if you need a scapegoat!" Even in his anger, he still kept our issues veiled around Bella.

"I'm sorry, Demetri," I whispered as I sat next to Bella's still form and stroked her hair. "This is like heaven right smack in the middle of hell."

"I know. And I'm not mad at you. I'm livid that even if we're blowing this out of proportion, nothing will ever be the same. We can't go back, and I'm seriously doubting if I even would now."

"I feel the same way. Fourteen hundred years and everything has changed in one conversation. Not only my life, but yours, Heidi's, Chelsea's and whoever she's bringing."

"I honestly think I'm still in shock. Like it hasn't set in yet." He was staring blankly at Bella, pouring over something. "Who do you think Chelsea's mate is?"

"Heh, I have no idea. I'm thinking it's someone important, but I'll really hoping she either just wants to surprise us, or didn't want to say due to possible eavesdroppers," I smirked, not looking away from Bella, but watching Demetri's reaction in my peripheral vision.

"I hoping so too. But it must be someone who could cause a scandal. And unfortunately there's a few of those."

"Ha! More than a few! Basically everyone that's not mated would be feed for the rumor mill, and if he were supposedly mated, even more so."

"Wait just a second! Did you notice she never say 'he'?" Demetri's eyes were wide with shock. I turned slowly to face him, my expression mirroring his own.

"She didn't, did she?" I gasped. "It's not possible. Aro would never allow that Demetri. Imagine the issues that would bring the Volturi!"

"I agree, but she did say Aro demanded it be kept a secret, but not forbidden," he reasoned.

"Which is why I say it's an impossibility," I countered.

"We need to know right now," he murmured retrieving his phone from his jacket pocket.

The phone rang three times, two more than normal. That was rather ominous.

"Chels! What took so long?" Demetri spit out in a rush, concern peppering his voice.

"Sorry, that was my fault. My phone was in my bag in the back seat and not so easy to get to," she sighed. I had to chuckle at her lack of planning.

"Oh, okay. So you're already on your way?"

"Yes, sir. We are approaching the German border in a few minutes."

"Nice! You're making excellent time!"

"Well, Heidi's driving and my super-charged Audi. Tell Felix thank you for me again, by the way."

"You're welcome Chelsea," I said laughing. "I'm glad you enjoy it, since you only got lucky on that bet!"

Demetri was chuckling quite hard as well. It was nice to be reminded of the old days without all the doom and gloom I had been dealing with lately.

"Please! We both know that glass table wasn't going to last long," she giggled.

"Maybe, but I never expected Gianna to break it of all people! Who knew she was scared shitless of spiders and that table wouldn't support her weight! At least she didn't draw blood," I chuckled. Here was this cute little lady, with no fear of vampires, asking me to kill a tiny spider on her desk.

"Spiders won me the bet, Felix," she said. I could just see her smug little grin.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"Returning to the reason I called," Demetri continued, his voice serious again. "Chelsea, I'm not going to ask you who your mate is, since I assume you have your reasons, but please just tell me it's not a woman."

"Demetri!" Heidi chided him from the background.

"No, it's a man, I promise. It's just complicated. Although I was perhaps a bit too vague on the phone earlier."

"Yes, you were. He's not mated to someone else is he?" he begged.

"Demetri! How could you think that?" Heidi screeched again.

"Seriously, Dem? You should know me better than that!" Chelsea wasn't as understanding this time.

"I realize that, but you didn't give me much to work with and we've already raised enough hell today," Demetri replied, sighing in relief.

"I know. Sorry about the confusion," she added, somewhat embarrassed.

"And I apologize for my lack of faith in order to even ask you such a thing, Chels. We just need to know as much as possible in order to figure out where we all stand," he said, with all the grace of a gentleman. "What's your plan on getting to us?"

"I'm still in the dark about were we are going, and Heidi won't say."

"Very wise Heidi!" Demetri commended his wife.

"Thank you, love," she beamed, her smile evident in her tone.

"All she told us is we will be driving to Oslo, abandoning my car, so she owes me. We'll stay in the city until nightfall, then we'll hunt and run the rest of the way."

"No, don't hunt until you talk to us first." Groans erupted on the other end of the line. "We have a good excuse, but I can't go into details right now. Just trust me please."

"Hmph. Fine, I'll keep them in line Demetri," Heidi sighed.

"Thank you babe. At the pace you're going you should be here by late morning if you don't wait until dusk. Heidi, just go in the straight line. It should be mostly frozen."

"That's what I was going to do. I'll call you when we into Oslo."

"Don't bother love. I'll just track you."

"I rather you not if you would, Demetri. I don't want to reveal my mate until we arrive. It was already a surprise enough for Heidi."

"No kidding," she muttered.

"As you wish. Call me in Svalbard too while you're at it. It's about a thirteen-hour run from there."

"Got it. Bye Dem!"

"Later Chels." He snapped the phone shut again. These phones weren't meant to take vampire abuse and it groaned in protest.

"Well, that's settled," I shrugged. "Still makes me wonder who it is though. If she won't say although they're nearing Germany and talking about where they're actually going."

"Agreed. As I said, I'm sure she has her reasons, and even Heidi was surprised so it really must be interesting at the least."

"Demetri, interesting? It doesn't matter who it is! This is already a tremendous problem! Think about it! Best case scenario, they've just lost three senior members, two guardsmen, and one potentially gifted immortal! And that's assuming Chelsea's mate is someone like Gregory with nothing above and beyond that Aro would want to keep!"

"And that's _exactly_ why I think it's someone like Gregory! Aro isn't too fond of ungifted guards being mated with gifted ones. Renata also told me that after Eleazar left with Carmen."

"What? Why?"

"Baggage. Think of how many of the guard are gifted. Now think about how many are mated with ungifted permanent members."

"Then what about me?" I whispered, realizing that I very well might not be as important as Aro had lead me to believe. "I'm the best fighter in the world, always three steps ahead of my opponent."

"I wouldn't say you're not important to the guard. And you are the best in the world. It's going to hurt them to lose you, but you're not completely irreplaceable either, and you know that. Aro will have to settle for second best."

"Aro never takes second best," I said coldly. "But if he killed me, they wouldn't be second best anymore."

"Exactly. And quit side-tracking me! As I said, Aro's not fond of the gifted and ungifted being mated, but only within the guard. The reason being baggage, but more specifically even with Chelsea's help, if she is indeed binding us together, it's difficult for us all to get along all the time. Just look at how unpopular Jane is. The bigger the guard, the harder to control, no matter your resources."

"Ah," I sighed, contemplating the significance of this latest news.

"And I'm assuming the worst case scenario you were thinking of is if it's someone like Marcus."

"Hold up! That's beyond worst case! How could that be? Our kind don't remate. We're not like humans!"

"Yes, therefore someone could only be using her. We never truly become mated again after we lose ours," he said gravely, grimacing as the thought of losing Heidi.

I rested my eyes on Bella's changing form. A more intense expression plastered itself to my face, as the most horrid mix of emotions I was capable of of feel swept through me: pain, loss, guilt, despair, anger, loneliness, emptiness, more crushing despair.

"Felix," Demetri said gently. He rested his hand on my shoulder "It's alright. I understand. If I lost Heidi, I'd be begging you to kill me. I couldn't go on. I just couldn't." His words caught in his throat.

"Demetri, you have to help me protect her. I can't bear to lose her. I've waited too long for her, and we're so close to forever," I breathed.

"I know, brother. You've been in the dark for many centuries. I will protect her as if her were my own flesh and blood."

"Thank you," I said, clapping my hand over his. "She'll be immortal by morning. Just listen to her heart."

"Bella is going to be beautiful," Demetri smiled. "You couldn't have found a better mate."

"She was always beautiful." I whispered, the amount of love in my words stunned me. It was so effortless.

Bella had not moved at all since I laid her on the huge leather couch. I could see the change taking hold of her. Her skin was now like granite, and a gorgeous shade of snowy alabaster. The scar of the bastard that attacked her had faded, and her body was losing it's human warmth. It would not be long now, only a few more hours until she opened her eyes to her new life, to me.

**A/N: I'm writing like mad right now, mainly trying to figure out where to break it up into chapters. Basically I get in the mood and just write until I'm too tired or out of ideas, and I'm don't really stop to split up chapters. For those of you waiting on a new chapter to Family Pieces, I'm almost done editting chapter 5.**

**Thanks so much and I'm truly shocked at the response this story has received!**


	5. Perceptions

A/N: You asked for it, so here it is, chapter 5! I decided to throw in a little snippet of Jane and Alec and their change from Felix's POV, just to spice things up. And will Felix get to see Bella take down a polar bear?

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond my Control**_

_Perceptions_

Time rarely means anything to an immortal, especially one as old as I am. Years pass like days, days pass like minutes and hours have less significance than a millisecond. Usually.

The final hours of Bella's transformation went by like centuries. I was painfully aware of every second, remembering exactly how time seemed to stop when I burned. Knowing Bella was experiencing that stabbed me straight to the core, regardless of if she never made a sound. Demetri screamed for days until his voice finally gave out. I wasn't much better. I was convinced I was burning in hell, which in a way I was. Jane had begged over and over for someone, anyone to be merciful and kill her quickly rather than continue burning at the stake.

That day stands out in my memory more than the other times I created someone. Perhaps, it was because under Aro's orders, Aro, Demetri, Renata and I broke our most sacred law, and exposed ourselves to humans.

Aro had been waiting for a year, since Eleazar discovered Jane and Alec had powerful gifts, even as humans. Jane could cause untold mental anguish with words alone, simply by describing some ghastly pain but only to whom she was speaking directly. She always believed she was just a great storyteller, painting pictures with language so intense, you couldn't help but feel it. Now, she only had to think of pain to send even a strong immortal to the ground.

Alec was unique. No one ever talked to him if they could avoid it. If you made him angry or upset, you would become completely numb, like you had poured the world's most potent pain killer in gas form into the room. He quickly gained control of his talent, and was invaluable to the Volturi. Aro even had him cut off the senses of those condemned to die, if Aro was feeling gracious that day.

We had stayed very close, since the twins were generally hated in their village. Aro didn't want the humans to do something stupid, and cost him his precious ones. He would not turn them right away though, they were still young, only fifteen. Since the plague of immortal children, it was heavily frowned upon to give anyone immortality who was not close to adulthood, regardless if they were not considered children any longer. Only rare exceptions were made, even Chelsea and Corin were only sixteen. Aro decide to wait until the spring after their birthday, ironically falling on All Hollows Eve.

It was several factors that led to that frigid day. They were faithful and rivaled the pastor's own piety, rejecting their Catholic faith in favor of Luther's teachings. That all changed when the twins' mother locked them in a cellar because she feared her own children. Despite protest from the village, the preacher refused to condemn Jane and Alec since he believed he could rid them of the supposed demons. He and their own mother had subjected them to exorcisms and other convoluted atrocities. In the aftermath and confusion, they quickly lost all traces of the faith they once had.

Jane's talent set everything in motion, and earned them the title of the witch twins. She had gone to the church, under the orders of their intolerable mother. In the mists of being questioned, had unintentionally released her power on the pastor.

He dragged her into the town square by her hair, screaming her brother and her were witches and in league with Satan. Alec tried to save her from the growing mob but was only captured as well. Demetri heard the call to burn them and wheeled to inform Aro. We flew to the village, faster than ever, to stop the slaying.

Nothing in the world could have prepared me for what I witnessed next. The twins' own mother had tied them to the stake herself and dropped the torch at Alec's feet, as they were screaming 'why are you doing this, Mama? Please Mother!'. I would never understand how someone could ever damn their children like that, and not only allow it, but lead the charge.

Although I could barely recall my human life, I remembered I was for all intents and purposes a father to my younger siblings. That faded memory has flooded my mind, and I could no longer contain my rage toward this vile woman. Aro was even more outraged than I was.

We all rushed forward, and began the massacre of the entire town. Aro and I ran straight to the flaming pyre, snapping necks and crushing the mob as we moved. I ripped Jane from the stake as Aro rescued Alec and smothered the flames still licking her body with my cloak. She was badly burned and almost dead. I forced my venom into her veins, pleading to keep her heart beating and save her.

It was over quickly, but slow enough the humans would be in a state of sheer terror before they died. We didn't even feed on the macabre village. We refused to gain any sort of pleasure from such filth.

Aro and I allowed two people to live through the initial slaughter, the two that deserved a fate worse than death, the disgusting excuse of a mother and the self-righteous pastor. We tied the humans to a tree in the forest, increasing their dread ten fold with every minute in our presence. It all came to a head when Jane and Alec emerged into the dawn of immortality. I will never forget the disbelief and horror of the woman as she became her children's first meal, but not before Jane unleashed the full devastating power of her gift on their would-be executioners.

While reliving the memories of that winter so many years ago, I realized how much I would miss Alec and Jane. After we saved them, I became a big brother to them both. They were my family, as much as Demetri was, but I had turned my back just like their mother. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. I was trading in Bella for them, and my Bella trumped family any day.

I stayed by Bella's side throughout the night, while Demetri and I continued sparse conversations about how to handle whatever would find us within the next couple years. In truth, we made no headway. We couldn't plan for something when we had no idea what we were facing, and too many factors remained unknown to allow even a guess. The only thing we could assume was a best case and worst case scenario, and that had too great of a margin of error to give us any peace. All we could do was wait.

As the sun broke through the horizon, setting the sky on fire, Bella's heart began speeding through it's last beats.

"Ah, she's almost finished. That was very quick," Demetri smiled. He was as excited to meet the immortal Bella as I was. "You know, throughout these past days, she's become like a sister to me already."

"I would say you're crazy, but I think I have the market cornered on that. I do know what you mean though, it's difficult to lose so much and not grow close to the people who will stand beside you."

"Yes. I never considered living outside the Volturi, but since I have no choice, I'm glad I'm with you."

"Amen to that brother," I grin as we bumped fists.

Bella's heart was quickly losing it's battle against the venom. She gasped as the fire grew unbearably fierce, and arched her back off the couch.

"Welcome to the dawn of immortality, Sweetheart," I whispered. I held her hand and gently kissed her perfect lips as her heart froze into stone with an unceremonious thud.

Very slowly, she opened her eyes, smiling as she took in my face with her new sight and glanced at Demetri.

"Felix! Demetri!" she smiled then frowned.

"What's wrong Bella?" Demetri asked somewhat amused.

My mind reeled with all the possibilities of things she could find disagreeable. The worse of which was that she could have changed her mind about becoming a vampire or me. Neither were things I wanted to dwell on.

"Oh, it's just...Ugh! My voice sounds so wrong," she said.

To me, her voice was the most beautiful sound in the world. It was the kind of music that would move the likes of Chopin and Bach to tears. I couldn't believe of all the things that could upset her, it was her voice.

I chuckled and and immediately she sprang to her feet, sinking into a crouch in the corner of the room. It was a tad shocking to see Bella react that way to me, but I had to remind myself she was a newborn with a terribly powerful fight or flight instinct.

"Bella, calm down. I know it's disorienting, but we are not a threat to you," I said slowly, my hands raised defensively.

"Yeah, it is. Sorry. I don't know why I did that," she sighed and relaxed.

"You're a newborn, Bella. The sense of self-preservation tends to overrule everything else," Demetri smirked.

Her eyes locked with mine again and in a fraction of a second I was wrapped in her tiny arms. She didn't realize her own strength and I could feel my body protesting under her crushing grip.

"Princess," I said as I pulled back to wriggle free, "you have to be careful. You're much stronger than older vampires and you could easily crush me if you wanted."

"Oops." She stepped back, looking embarrassed. "I didn't know. Am I really stronger than you?"

"It's perfectly alright, babe. And, yes, you are for the next year or so. Just try not to crush me," I grinned and winked at her.

Her smile at my wink was blinding, brighter than the sun itself and Aphrodite had nothing on her beauty. My universe revolved around her perfect face, and I was eternally a slave to any need or want she might have. At that moment, taking in this incredible woman, I couldn't care less about anything else, not the Volturi, not changing my diet, not my own life. Nothing.

I leaned down to kiss her the way I had wanted to for days. It was filled with all the passion, love, and absent of all the restraint I had to keep in check just days ago. She kissed me in return, desire rising in me stronger than ever before. She abruptly stepped back, her hand going to her throat as she grimaced.

"You need to hunt. That's the thirst for blood you're feeling," I said grinning, determining the best way to approach the human versus animal issue and coming up blank.

Demetri noticed my hesitation and nodded slightly. I hoped he had an idea, and he didn't let me down. He knew I wasn't always the best when a delicate conversation was called for, especially when the outcome was important. It was never one of my skills.

"Bella, we are in prime polar bear territory, since I'm assuming you want to drink from animals," he said, smooth as silk. "Although if you do wish to hunt humans, there is a small town about forty miles west of here."

Part of me wanted to watch this little goddess bring down one of the fiercest predators in the animal kingdom. Another part, the selfish part, hoped she would disagree so I didn't have to give up the last normal piece of my life.

"Point me to the bears, Demetri," she beamed. "How did you know?"

"You said you knew the Cullens, so I sort of figured," I answered. Her face dropped and her smile quickly faded.

"Felix, I know human memories fade over time, and I can see why now. I rather not think about them, it's just too painful still," she whispered like she was admitting an awful weakness.

"I completely understand, Sweetheart. I won't mention them again ever, unless it's avoidable," I murmured, cupping her cheek in my hand.

"Thank you," she breathed, lost in my eyes.

"Alright, let's get some bears before Heidi and Chelsea arrive!" Demetri was beyond thrilled to see his wife again, and be reacquainted with reason behind the madness.

"Um...I-I don't know how," she said sheepishly. I was feeling rather unsure myself.

"I'll show you. It's quite easy because your instincts take over, Bells," I grinned. Bears or not, I did enjoy teaching someone to hunt.

"Bells?" she said, a smile creeping across her face. I was amazed at how much I liked the nickname.

"Yeah, it fits. You don't mind do you?"

"Not at all, especially from you." Her smile was back in full force.

"Well, my thirst is rather unpleasant and I'm sure yours must be nearly intolerable. I'm sure we can all find several carnivores between all the bears and wolves here."

I took her hand and led her into the morning light to a new beginning for us all.

Demetri quickly caught up with us and placed Bella's other hand in his. She stopped, yanking both of us to stand still. I really underestimated her strength, I had never been stopped cold like that before.

I looked at Demetri first with confusion, then acceptance and finally joy. I was surprised Demetri would be so warm and open with her, considering she was the root cause our current predicament. I didn't really expect Demetri to be rude, but not more or less like family.

"What was that about?" Bella asked, smiling but still unsure of Demetri's intentions.

"You better wait for me little sister! I'm not about to miss watching you bring down a polar bear!" he chuckled and she smirked at him.

I wondered if we could really live like a family without Chelsea's special 'help'. The largest two covens other than the Volturi and their guard were the Cullens and the Denali coven. I knew they refused to hunt humans, and I wondered if that had something to do with their lifestyle. The whole 'birds of a feather flock together' sprang to mind, and perhaps they allowed a common goal unite them. It really wasn't so different from Demetri, Bella, Heidi, Chelsea, her mystery guest and myself forming our own coven. We had to stay together, we had too many enemies, and very few would even understand why we left. But mostly, I _wanted_ us to stay together, the six of us as a family, bound not by convenience or tampering with our ties, but by love and respect for one another.

Bella was thrilled by the speed of her new body and was fascinated by how she could see every snowflake and ice crystal on the ground. Still amazed by how beautiful it all was, I told her to wait until tonight when I would show her the stars.

We ran north for several miles onto the arctic ice sheets, until we picked up the faint scent of bears. It didn't smell as revolting I thought it would, since I never thought of them as a food source. Demetri, breathed in and sighed, still annoyed I convinced him to alter his diet, if only temporarily. Bella raised an eyebrow as she noticed us sniffing the air. I couldn't help but grin that after all the little things she noticed, she didn't realize what we were doing.

"I think we should let her feed first," Demetri suggested, and I agreed. We would pick up any other prey we found after she had sated her thirst.

"That's what I was thinking. Okay, Bells, sniff the air," I said, coaching her. I realized it might be a bit more involved to teach her to hunt than I assumed it would be, and adjusted my habits accordingly. Hunting humans in a city or a town was very different than hunting wildlife in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't difficult, just more predatory.

She breathed in deeply and wrinkled her a nose a bit. "That's what a polar bear smells like? It doesn't smell that good."

Demetri and I both chuckled, we were thinking the same thing. The laughter stopped dead as a low hiss escaped through her teeth.

"Why are you laughing at me?" she growled, her newborn emotions going haywire.

"We're not laughing at you Bella. It's just that we agree," Demetri grinned.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized, sounding rather guilty

"No problem Princess. I understand but you seem to have an amazing amount of self-control for a newborn," I said and kissed her forehead.

"Huh? Why to you say that?" Bella asked me, puzzled.

"You really shouldn't be able to control your reactions like that. A normal newborn would never be able to. Alright, now listen."

The heartbeats were effortless for us to pick up. Their strong hearts acted as a bullseye, pinpointing exactly where the blood was coursing through the veins.

Bella's head turned instinctively allowing her to search the horizon for her query. Her eyes narrowed slightly at an iceberg lodged in the frozen surface of the ocean. Her smirk turned deadly as she zeroed in on her prey.

Bella sprinted off, arriving at the icy hill in only seconds, still holding my hand, pulling me along. Demetri was right beside her, leaving not even a single snowflake disturbed in our path. Her instincts took over her mind and silently bounded off various points to the top of the iceberg.

She was inhumanly balanced on a ledge just an inch wide, peering down at the bear plunging its paws into the hardened snow and ice, doing some hunting of its own. With grace that few immortals could boast, Bella stepped off in to the air, landing lightly on the snow just inches away from its massive form.

The polar bear whipped its head around to face the deadly threat. With a roar of shock and terror like this bear had probably never seen, it stood on its hind legs towering over Bella. She easily latched on to its thick neck, while it futility tried to defend itself with its claws and bites to her shoulder.

Demetri and I had to hold back snickers watching this comical match up. There was this little petite girl, fighting an enormous and highly dangerous animal like it was a fluffy bunny. I could just imagine what it would look like to a human as the bear fell, drained, at her feet.

Her menacing grin, filled with bloodlust, was one of the most terrifying and beautiful things I had ever seen. I couldn't control myself any longer. I leaped down, wrapped her in my arms and kissed her with complete abandon, her lips still slick with blood.

"Mmm. That was sweet," I grinned and winked at her.

"The kill or the kiss?" She cocked an eyebrow, still wearing that same smile.

"The kiss, and I love that smile. The kill wasn't half bad either. You're one little hellcat," I chuckled.

"Hellcat? Is that her new nickname?" Demetri snickered from above us.

"You know, I think it is. If you don't mind of course."

"Not at all, tiger. And I love that wink," she said, and growled at me playfully.

"And on that note, I'm going to go find my own bear," Demetri said and rolled his eyes. "Felix, I'll see you back at the lodge in a bit."

I chuckled and waved him off. I was thankful he was giving us some alone time before Heidi and Chelsea arrived and things got complicated. I had barely had a chance to talk to her, though I got the impression she wasn't particularly verbose, but I talked enough for the both of us.

"Bells, are you alright or do you want to hunt some more?" I asked as I buried my face in her hair, inhaling her sweet scent.

"I'm good. The burn is barely noticeable now," she said, her eyes sparkling with a vibrant shade of ruby. "Plus, I'm pretty sure you're much thirstier than I am."

"Alright then, watch me hunt." I flashed a brilliant smile and winked, making her giggle.

I took her hand in mine again and ran east to another lone bear was barely visible on the horizon. Polar bears weren't awful, but weren't really enjoyable either. It would certainly be an adjustment.

I was facing away from Bella as a mound of white fur thudded lifelessly on the ground, knowing this was the moment I had feared since I figured out she rather not kill humans. My eyes would still be crimson, although not quite as bright if I had just fed on human blood. She would know I didn't hunt like this normally, and I couldn't lie to her, not that I would. I only prayed she would give me in opportunity to explain.

"Bella?" I whispered, still facing away, looking at the sky above my head.

"I'm right here," she said, wrapping her arms around my waist..

"I need to tell you something, and I don't know how you're going to react. Well, show you is more like it, and all I can hope for is that you'll hear me out before you decide you want nothing to do with me." I couldn't barely get the words out and they caught at odd places in my throat.

"I already know, Felix," she laughed quietly, more than amused.

My head involuntarily moved to look at her. I was in such a state of shock that I was completely speechless. My jaw dropped and all I could do was stare at her in disbelief.

"W-What?" I finally managed to mouth, but I had no means to produce sound.

"You and Demetri are not as quiet or subtle as you think," she smirked.

"But how did you know?" I said, after drawing a deep breath.

"It wasn't that hard, Felix. I caught bits of you talking and Demetri didn't sound too thrilled about tackling a bear. And then when he told me about the town, I could see he would have preferred that. But I also know that you're obviously willing to adapt to bear, wolves and what have you for me, because it's what I want. And Demetri is following suit, although I'm not sure why," she stated smugly, like she had solved the riddle of the century.

"My God, Bella. You're amazing," I gasped. I lifted her into a hug and pecked her on the cheek. I grinned at the ridiculous amount of anxiety I had put myself though. "My clever little hellcat." If she could have blushed, she would have been scarlet by now.

"Who else is coming? And why would we be guilty of treason? I've done nothing wrong, at least I don't think I have."

"As for who's is joining us, Demetri's wife Heidi, Chelsea and her mate. And speaking of them, we need to head back. We're just waiting on Demetri to track us here."

She looked slightly confused, and I pointed to the western horizon with Demetri's figure framed against the sky. She snorted a little bit that she didn't notice him. Within a few moments, Demetri stopped on a dime in front of us.

I smiled and draped my arm over her shoulder with her arms still securely around my waist. Demetri glanced between us, focusing in on my red eyes and Bella's unfading grin. His brow furrowed as I raised an eyebrow, refusing to answer the unsaid question.

"What's got you so damn happy?" he huffed.

"I see you didn't enjoy your meal," I laughed. It was going to be much harder for him, he didn't have the motivation I did.

"I'm surprised you didn't hop over to the town and slaughter all the women and children," Bella scoffed rolling her eyes.

"What?" We both said in unison. Did she really just tell him to hunt humans?

"If you haven't gathered by now, I already know. I don't know why you decided to have a bear, but I glad you did. It shows what kind of heart you have, that you don't want to be a monster," she said looking straight through the ground.

Demetri opened his mouth to say something, but I shook my head infinitesimally. He shot a glare my way and I glanced at sun and Bella, telling him 'later'. I didn't want to throw Bella and Demetri into a pissing match of her version of right versus wrong just yet.

Demetri finally settled on a smirk in response to Bella. He and I both knew we had bigger problems than just killing humans and her thoughts on it.

"Well, let's go. To answer your other question, we've sort got to give you a crash course into the Volturi," I said. "We'll explain on the way back to our temporary base of operations."

"Volturi? I've heard of them before," she interjected,

I quickly blew out a breath, not in relief, but reacting to the implications of that. If she already knew of our previous masters, I couldn't began to guess what she'd been told. Aro had made quite a few enemies over the centuries.

"What do you know?" Demetri asked, more like he was asking for the plot of a movie he'd missed.

"Just that they are basically the royalty of our kind, and you didn't provoke them unless you want to die," she shrugged.

I let out a dark laugh. Of course, it was true, but I couldn't understand why the Cullens would tell her that. It seemed a little too morbid for the likes of Carlisle.

Puzzle pieces clicked into place, as I recalled Bella's crescent shaped scar. I wondered if the bite mark and the knowledge of Volturi were connected.

"Bella, how did you get the scar on your hand, when you were human?"

"Um...It's a long story, but in short, a vampire was hunting me, and bit me before...they found me. I was almost killed," she said, reliving some horrid memory.

If Edward had thought she was dying, but somehow stopped the change, and told her that about the Volturi, then at one time, he didn't want to live without her but wouldn't turn her. So what happened to change his mind and leave her? No wonder she so emotionally damaged because of him.

Demetri groaned a little, he had reached the same conclusion I had. This was becoming more and more chaotic as the minutes passed.

"Hmm," I mused, filing this new information away to deal with later.

"That's pretty much true in a sense," Demetri said, ignoring Bella's short exchange with me, but I had no doubt he would bring it up before long. "They are basically the judge, jury and executioner of our world, they keep the law. And it more or less boils down to only one: to keep the secret at all costs. The Volturi are usually nothing to fear, unless you expose us. Most just have a very healthy respect from them, which they should. We owe them for our way of life."

"So that's the only rule? What were you saying about treason then?," Bella said, her brow creasing, between her eyes.

I gave Demetri a warning glance, allowing me to continue. Granted, I didn't know Bella all that well yet, and Demetri knew less than I did, but I loved her, and I thought that put me in a position to tell her. Demetri would want the same if it was Heidi.

"This is where it gets complicated. Until two days ago, Demetri, Heidi, Chelsea and myself were part of the Volturi, part the guard," I sighed. I figured it was best to continue before Bella could interrupt again, and I wouldn't be able to tell her everything before Heidi showed up. "It's rare someone leaves the Volturi, of the permanent members anyway. Which we all were. There's no telling how the Volturi leaders, Aro, Caius and Marcus, will react. They don't know we've left yet, but regardless, they have lost a quarter of their force and a few of the most important members as well. And we still don't know who Chelsea is bringing, so it's a waiting game right now until we know something more and can talk to Chelsea and Heidi." All my words came out more rushed than I wanted.

Bella looked thoughtful for a moment, then grimaced.

"What is it Bella?" I asked squeezing her shoulder lightly. I was mostly successful in controlling the emotion in my voice, fearful of her deciding this was too much and wanted to leave me behind. Demetri noticed though, he face echoed the same fear.

"My extraordinary bad luck continues," she muttered, thick with sarcasm.

"What?" Demetri and I chorused.

"This is all because of me, isn't it?" she whispered. "You were with me two days ago, it has to be because of me."

"How you bridged that gap in logic is beyond me, Bella. It's not because of you at all, that's all Felix's doing, and it's not really his fault either. It's been coming for a long time, and your little romance set it in motion," Demetri chuckled, saving me from the shock filled explanation I would no doubt be tripping all over. "But don't even consider that it's your fault. Every single one of us had a choice. I had to choose between my loyalties and I chose Felix."

"It has to be more complicated than that," she said frowning.

"Oh it is, but it's nothing you need to worry about. It just sort of snowballed," he shrugged.

"Like what?"

"You're not going to give up, are you?" Demetri sighed.

"Not likely," she scoffed.

"Alright, alright. In the remote chance the Volturi did decide to find Felix, for whatever reason, I would be the one sent. I'm the best tracker in the world. He's my for all intents and purposes my brother and my best friend. Regardless of the Volturi's intentions, I would refuse to find him. The problem with that is that they could threaten my wife if I refused. Therefore, Heidi and I decided to leave too. Chelsea's been wanting out for some time, and she tagged along. Like I said, it just snowballed."

"Damn you're good," I grinned at Demetri.

"Why thank you," he laughed.

Bella looked up at me, completely confused about the exchange. If I didn't want her mind running wild, I knew I had to explain...again.

"He's better at not tripping over himself," I chuckled.

"Yeah, Felix, that's not one of your strong suits," he smirked.

She seemed satisfied enough, so I dropped it.

The three of us arrived at the lodge just minutes later. Bella dashed into our room and returned a second later wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt after discarding the nearly shredded top from before.

"I wasn't look for them, but I just picked up Heidi and Chelsea," Demetri said almost as an aside.

"You know who Chelsea's mate is?" I asked, vitally interested now.

"Oh yeah," he grinned, "and you're never going to believe who it is, and who else is with them." He snickered at the secret he was keeping from me.

"Who is it?" I demanded.

"Go stand on the porch, you should be able to see them in about, oh, ten seconds," he said, still smirking and nudging Bella and I out the door.

"Oh. My. God." It was the only thing I could think to say when I saw the four figures gliding toward us.

Heidi ran directly into Demetri's arms, overjoyed to see him again.

"I missed you Sparky," she cooed.

"I love you Heidi," he whispered back, and kissed her with passion rivaling Bella's kiss from earlier. I thought it wouldn't annoy me so much now, but I was wrong.

"Oh Bella, this is Chelsea and this is my wife Heidi," Demetri said breaking the kiss.

"Hi," she whispered meekly.

"I'm surprised to see you here and you brought her too," I said to Chelsea's mate, smirking.

"Well, I knew something happened, and it's been a long time coming. I am surprised you're involved though, but with your loyalties to Demetri and your mate, I can see why. Never thought you would find such a beautiful mate. She fits you well," he said smiling.

"Bella, I'd like you to meet Alec and his twin sister Jane."

**A/N: So the secret is out. I want to give a shout out to Kathy Hiester and isis70, you have been awesome and keep me going when I'm not in the mood to reread a chapter for the 14th time (I have no beta, so I'm flying solo here).**

**Got a Suggestion? Let me know.**

**-Amanda**


	6. Leaving Out All The Rest

**A/N: Sorry sorry sorry! I know this update took forever! I've had some medical issues that put me out of commission for a bit. So bear with me as I get rolling again. **

**So Alec is with Chelsea, and Jane's with them. And they've all left the Volturi.**

**To answer some things: I know Felix and Bella's relationship was rushed, but as I've said before, it's more or less based on one of my relationships. I'm loving everyone be shocked at Alec and Jane. :) And my other story Family Pieces will be updated within the next few days. Just bear with me.**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_Leaving Out All The Rest_

"Okay, Chelsea, you have a hell of a lot of explaining to do. For starters, when did this thing start?" I said as I wiggled my finger back and forth between she and Alec.

"And I'll explain after you and Demetri. I was planning on leaving with Alec and Jane when we could, but not with half the damned guard! What the hell is going on?" Chelsea snapped.

Demetri and I looked at each other. Thanks to his way with words, I wanted him to talk. And he wanted me to talk because this was all my doing. How the hell was I going to put this in a way that wouldn't make me sound like a lovesick fool?

"I, for one, think Felix is bat-shit insane," Bella grinned at me.

"Agreed!" everyone said in unison.

"What?" I was completely blown away, and it felt like the bottom dropped out of my mind.

"Felix, we both are. Love does that," she smiled as her arms pulled mine around her.

"Someone start talking. I'm more than a little grateful that my brother pulled me out of a no-win situation with Gianna, but running across the Arctic isn't really my idea of fun," Jane said, rolling her eyes. Patience wasn't one of her virtues.

"Well, in short, I rescued Bella, changed her, realized we couldn't return and here we are," I said in a rush.

All the newcomers looked at me like I was trying to explain rocket science to a four year old. Demetri just stared at the sky shaking his head, and Bella raised an eyebrow and snickered.

"Basically, Bella's animal diet would cause some major problems. Felix and I were discussing that, and Chelsea came up after he decided to leave the guard. We had no idea Chelsea and Alec were together. I refused to go back, because I knew Aro or Caius would want me to find Felix, and use Heidi to get me to comply. And Chelsea would want to get out too. I honestly thought it was just going to be the five of us. I'm glad you're here, Jane and Alec, but it causes some huge issues," Demetri explained.

"That's the gist of it. Where does everyone think you've gone?" I asked, wondering how long we had.

"Aro, Caius and Marcus think we all went fishing. That buys us a couple of days, but they will figure it out soon enough," Jane sighed.

"Which is why we need to tell them before they get too curious. We need a game plan," Alec added.

"Well, we know they can't track us, and they've lost they're two best weapons," Jane said as she pursed her lips.

"Weapons?" Bella asked.

Jane looked at her and smiled. I immediately shouldered Jane to the ground, there was no way I would allow her to pull that on my Bella.

"Wow. How are you still standing Bella?" Jane was staring at her with a wash of fury and disbelief on her face. "No one as ever withstood my assault!"

"Demetri can't track me either," she shrugged.

"I can't reach her bindings. I can't even find the ones between her and Felix or Demetri. That's a powerful gift, Bella," Chelsea smiled.

"Me neither. That's amazing!" Alec exclaimed. "Basically, Jane can cause you feel indescribable pain, like the burn of the change, but worse. I can do the opposite and cut off all your senses. All our gifts affect others mentally."

"I guess my mind is sort of private." Bella shuddered at the thought of what she had just avoided, thanks to her bizarre mind.

"And, Felix, you're like my brother, but please, pretty please, GET THE HELL OFF ME!" Jane hissed, as I instantly pounced away and back to Bella.

"Sorry. I guess I'm a little overprotective," I grinned.

"Understandable, but keep that in mind next time." Jane rolled her eyes.

"Alright. So what to we do from here? It looks like we have the Volturi to avoid, and a couple of weddings to plan," Heidi smiled, ever the party planner.

"Whoa! Hold up! A wedding?" Bella choked out.

I sighed, knowing this might be a problem, it was a little soon. I honestly did want to marry her, but I would respect her wishes.

"You don't want to marry Felix?" Demetri gasped.

"Well, I...Do you want to marry me?" Bella stared deep into my eyes. I was lost in her ruby red oceans.

"Yes, I do, Bells. But the choice is yours," I whispered.

She jumped into my arms, planting a kiss on me I wouldn't break for the world. Everything that had happened in the past few days melted away, and seemed so trivial. All I wanted was to make her mine, forever.

"I can see it's important to you, love. You've given me my new life, and it's the least I can do for you. I do want to marry you, but I don't have a ring yet," she grinned. I was trying to figure out why she had been holding out on me.

"Actually, you do." I yanked a small chain off my neck and slipped a beautiful blue diamond on her finger. I had kept it for centuries, just in case.

"Felix! Is that what I think it is?" Chelsea gasped, while the others just stared.

"Yeah. You can thank Queen Isabella of Spain for that. From one Isabella to another," I smiled.

"Well we can always forget the formalities. I now pronounce you man and wife. And you too Alec and Chelsea," Demetri laughed.

Chelsea and Alec were locked in a kiss that could have set the forest on fire, not that I noticed with Bella in my arms.

I did feel a bit odd I couldn't really call her Mrs. Skyler, since I hadn't used my last name in centuries. None of us had in fact, if they even remembered theirs. Perhaps we could come up with one for our new coven.

"You know, I never did want to get married, but you feel like so much more than my husband, Felix."

"Princess, you will never be just my wife. You're everything to me," I smiled down at her.

"I, for one, still want a real wedding. My twin and my big brother only get married once you know," Jane grinned grabbing Bella out of my arms, and pulling Heidi along with her into the lodge. "Come on Chelsea!"

"Hey! That's my wife you're kidnapping!" Demetri called, none too happy about have Heidi away from him after even a short time without her.

"Relax, Demetri, I'm only borrowing her. I believe we need some girl time," Jane called over her shoulder. Bella just shrugged at me, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I guess we're all members of the ball and chain club now," Demetri laughed. "Honestly, you two are the last guys I thought would ever be mated."

"I can see why with Felix, fourteen hundred years is a long time to wait for someone-"

"Which is why I'm not letting her go, Alec."

"But, me, on the other hand, why not? Too young?" Alec smirked.

"For the most part," Demetri shrugged.

"Well, if you recall, most men were starting to look for wives at my age in my time. Plus, I think it has something to do with being immortal, Dem. Both of you aren't that much older, physically."

"Demetri's twenty-two and I'm twenty-three. For your time, that's quite the difference," I smirked.

"And yet we've stayed in Volterra with no one the wiser all these years. Although I suppose we have Marcus to think for that," Alec commented. We all knew we had no home now. And no established coven which weighed on me even more so, I couldn't give that to Bella.

"What do you guys think about putting a name to our little coven?" I asked my brothers.

"Good idea, but first, this is no 'little' coven."

"I know that Dem. Second largest coven I know of. I'm hoping we can keep the peace," I murmured, more thinking to myself than answering him.

"Chelsea will help with that, if we need it. We're already like family, and Bella fits in perfectly. Chels told me she won't unless she needs to though," Alec replied.

"Well that was generous," Demetri laughed

"She hates doing it, and I think Heidi and Jane don't know. So don't say anything," Alec pleaded.

"No problem. If we're going to be a coven, we need a name. I rather not argue over 'Felix's coven' or whatever. Suggestions?" I said, trying to get back to my point.

"Well not one of us remembers our human last names. What about Bella's?" Alec shrugged.

"Swan? I like it, but with her just disappearing, I rather the Cullens not hear about it. I don't know if any of them care anymore, and frankly, I don't give a damn. But we already have enough people to worry about without adding them to the mix. And I do remember my last name was Skyler," I grinned.

"Good point," Alec said, as he turned the thought over in his mind.

"Actually, I think Swan is perfect, nice and simple, and she's the one who brought us together anyhow. Carlisle and his family are the least of our worries. He won't allow his family to do anything, as long as Bella is fine, knowing him, and she is. Although I do like the idea of Skyler too," Demetri reasoned.

"Once again, good point," Alec repeated.

"I'm calling it. I'm the oldest, I get seniority," I smirked.

"I have no problem taking your name, Felix," Bella said from inside the house, among giggles from the other girls. "But are you okay with that? I could be Bella Swan-Skyler."

"No objections here, hellcat," I laughed.

"Anyone have a problem with Skyler?," Demetri asked in a natural human volume. Thanks to our incredible hearing, we all heard him crystal clear. I was grateful we had kept the part about Chelsea's power in hushed whispers.

"None from me. I really like the sound of Jane Skyler anyways," Jane said, glancing out the window.

"Me neither," Chelsea called, after grumbling for Bella to stay still.

"Skyler it is then," Heidi grinned, tackling Demetri out of no where.

Watching Demetri getting blind-sided by his wife was entertaining, but at that moment Bella appeared in the doorway. That was all I need to forget the rest of the world.

She was wearing a beautiful black sheath dress (from what I heard Heidi call it), and black satin pumps. Her brown hair was pulled back half-way, framing a diamond choker. She looked spectacular.

"Wow, dibs!" I breathed, with nothing except this beautiful woman filling my mind.

If she could have blushed, she would have. But her new pale skin looked so amazing on her and against the black dress, it took all my control not to carry her to the bedroom.

The thought hadn't occurred to me until that moment. Fourteen hundred years was a long time not to be intimate with someone, and I didn't think I had in my human life. Suddenly, I realized love and lust could in fact keep the same company, and I wanted no one but Bella.

"You are so beautiful Mrs. Skyler. You were gorgeous before, but immortality has made you a goddess. It suits you," I muttered between kisses.

"Yes, immortality suits you well, Bella. Next order of business, what are we going to do about the Volturi?" Jane asked, a bit put off by all the love floating around. I mentally cursed her for spoiling my moment with Bella, just as I was about to take off with her.

"Honestly, I think you should tell them Jane. They all like you the best. Then we run, together. I'm hoping Eleazar might help us. The whole diet thing," Demetri suggested.

"Someone explain to be exactly why you want us to change that?" Alec asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's my fault," Bella murmured.

"Actually, it's mine," I interrupted. "I'm committed to changing my ways for Bells. I think it would quite honestly help with our Volturi problem if, when we do meet them again, all our eyes were golden. It would cover up the real reason we left."

"And what is the real reason?" Jane asked, only receiving cold glares from Demetri and myself. "Wait! I'm not protesting! I'll follow my brother anywhere! I just want to know for my own peace of mind," she backtracked quickly.

"Because if I had returned, Aro would have known about Chelsea, and her life would be forfeit, you know that. And there's nothing Alec wouldn't do protect her. I would have been a liability and Heidi would be caught in the middle, as would you. I would have been forced to send my best friend to his death, and Bella too. I could not allow that, Jane. Bella is already like my sister, and I would do damn near anything to prevent anyone here from the wrath of Caius, especially," Demetri said.

"You had no choice. And it's safer for us all if we are together. Between Jane, Chelsea, myself and if Bella can project her mental shield, we are probably the most powerful coven in existence. And with Felix's fighting ability and Heidi's ability, I would say we're damn near unstoppable," Alec mused, while we all showed various signs of agreement, except for Bella.

"Shield? And what do you mean 'project'? And what can Heidi do?" Bella asked, confused and intrigued.

"You said it yourself, Bella, you're mind is private. That leads me to think you've got an incredibly powerful mental shield in place. And you might be able to project, like shield someone else other than yourself. As for me, I have an uncanny ability to divert attention towards or away from myself and those around me. So you can see why Aro wants me on his side," Heidi smirked. "I honestly try not to use it, because I don't really have the need to, but it comes in handy on a fishing trip, or if I'm trying to avoid something."

"So kind of like the opposite of a tracker?" Bella asked, thoroughly confused.

"No, chica. More like I can walk into a room full of people and be completely unnoticed, like stealth. Or I can make everyone notice me. And I can do that for others too. For example, you probably didn't notice Demetri is now standing behind you, waving his arms about. It's not that he wasn't there, but you're attention was diverted to me instead. And since it works on you, it's not a mental thing," Heidi smiled, as everyone except Bella spun around to look at Demetri.

"Um, Heidi, I did notice him move there," she said, like her gift was some plague among our kind.

"That's amazing! Perhaps it could work to our advantage," Chelsea mused.

"To be honest, I don't think the Volturi will come after us if they know we're all together. Every one of us is talented, even Felix with his fighting ability," Jane muttered.

"Fighting? That's your gift?" Bella asked me.

"Remember how fast I took down Laurent? I'm always several steps ahead of my opponent. I've been alive for nearly a century and a half, Bells, and never lost a fight. And only was bitten once, and Demetri did that," I said smirking at Demetri, remembering when he caught me off guard after I made an aside about Heidi.

"Yeah, Jane was after me for days after you threw me through Marcus's wall," Demetri laughed. Even Bella was laughing at the thought.

"Felix wasn't exactly forthcoming about the details about who started it, although that's the last time I saw Marcus smile. Nothing like seeing Demetri fly through your quarters only to keep walking like nothing happened," Jane giggled. Her voice did not fit her reputation. The rest of the ex-Volturi clan joined in the laughter.

"I'm sorry, but I'm a bit lost. Who is Marcus?" Bella asked. I could tell she simply wanted to understand the situation, unlike Alec who was already annoyed.

"Aro, Caius and Marcus are the leaders of the Volturi. Marcus's wife was killed many years ago and he's only the shell of the man he was. I can't even explain it right-"

"It's like he just switched off. He doesn't care about anything. He doesn't see the point. The only reason he stayed after Didyme was killed was because of me, and I have no idea how he'll react now," Chelsea hijacked my thoughts.

"Wait, what? Because of you?" Jane and Heidi said in unison.

"You know how on my power works? Breaking ties between allies? It works the opposite way as well. Notice how I only left the tower more than the wives?" Chelsea stated, obviously fearing the backlash.

"Oh God," Heidi gasped.

"What?" Jane said, thoroughly confused.

"She just realized the gravity of what that means," Alec whispered.

"And that is?" Jane asked, looking as though she was inches away from releasing her power on everyone in the clearing. She was rarely slow on the uptake, but when she was, it irritated her faster than anything else.

"The Volturi's about to fall apart." I'd never seen Demetri more serious. "This news will shake our world to the core, and no one knows the consequences of that."

"How long do we have?" Jane was becoming more panicked by the second.

"A couple of days, a few at most. Their bindings are already weakening," Chelsea answered the question on everyone's mind.

"The thing is, are you with us or against us Jane?" I had to know. Jane forfeiting our relationship would mean death for us all.

"I stand by my brothers, my family, all of you," she said, then looked straight at Bella. "That includes you too, Bella. It's about time Felix found you. Plus, I'm damn glad you're on my side with that shield you've got. Imagine fighting against the old Volturi with that."

"That would be one hell of a fight, and I doubt we would have won," Alec chuckled.

"To be honest, I'd kill for the chance to be up against them and take on Caius. Show him how bloodlust feels from the other side. I've always hated that bastard," I frowned.

"Sadie shook us all," Demetri whispered.

Bella moved her lips as I lightly brushed my finger against them, silently pleading with her not to ask about that incident. She got the message when Jane and Chelsea shifted uncomfortably.

"Well Felix, you might very well get your chance soon enough," Jane sighed. "I'm guessing I need to make that call." The fact she was dreading it was obvious.

"Let's think this through for a minute," I said, knowing the ramifications of this. "She would incur the most wrath simply because she was the messenger."

"Then what do you suggest, Felix?" Jane questioned, seeming relieved and put out at the same time. Demetri chuckled at her reaction but quickly shut up as Jane began to smile at him, dropping him to his knees in a second.

"What the hell just happened?" Bella asked frantically. I realized she'd never seen Jane's gift in action.

"I just thought Demetri should learn his place when I'm about to be public enemy number one." Jane sounded almost disinterested, that much hadn't changed.

"Her damned gift," Demetri growled as he returned to Heidi's side.

Bella nodded infinitesimally, but was angry Jane would use her talent on her own coven. Even Jane picked up on that fact, although the rest of us knew better than to be on the fiery twin's bad side.

"Sorry Demetri. And sorry you had to see that Bella. It's sort of a gut reaction when I'm pissed or attacked," Jane shrugged.

"Anyways, we need a plan before we call. I'll call and get Jane off the hook. I'll take responsibility."

"No Felix, we all do. We all made our choices. We're in this together now," Chelsea commented.

All of the people I cared about looked at me, conveying they agreed.

"Blood is thicker than water," I quoted as I grinned at the irony in the old saying.

"I know I used to outrank all of you, but I'm handing that over to Felix. He did start this coven to begin with and created a few of us. And like he said, he has seniority. Any objections?" Jane said, as smiles beamed at me from all around.

I was blown away, as my expression clearly showed. I couldn't believe they would all want me to be the head of the new Skylers. I never considered myself a leader, because Aro was always in charge and we just followed orders. I realized it was too far out of our comfort zone except for Demetri and I, and he was rather sick of fronting all the hunting parties.

"I guess I can do that," I said, still in awe. "But if I do this, we do it my way. We all get a say in the matter, but mine carries the weight. I will not have a repeat of the Volturi here. Agreed?"

Various forms of 'agreed' filled the air, making me the lord and master of the Skylers. I could almost feel the burden rest on my shoulders, although I was happy to bear it.

"Welcome to the Skyler family," I grinned.

**A/N: Once again, I am SO sorry this took so long. A couple little asides real quick: If you're questioning Bella's acceptance of the whole marriage thing, remember that when they are turned, they are frozen. At that time, she wanted nothing more than to be with Felix, and he wanted to get hitched, and the whole 'just out of high school' thing didn't apply anymore. Also, the vegetarian diet is going to be an issue, because of several reasons I'm not saying yet, so don't freak about that. :)**

**I'm going to be better at getting chapters up without so long between like 5 and 6, but bear with me.**

**Love you guys and THANK YOU so much for the reviews! Love, cookies and kitties to you all!**

**-Amanda**


	7. Love And War

**A/N: I'M SO SORRY! It's been a long, crazy few months for me, and I know this is seriously overdue! Come summer, I probably won't be free to update this often, so I'm attempting to get it done before then. This chapter's pretty long as a futile effort to make it up to you and as a bonus, some old friends appear. ;)**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_Love And War_

Chapter 7

"Okay, now we need a plan. Ideas?" I asked.

"First, we have to stick together. I doubt even Caius would dare cross such a powerful group," Heidi said.

"If we need our eyes to change, we need to start now," Chelsea added. "And find Eleazar too."

"Really? You have to ask? Let's not forget who is standing behind you. I'm the best tracker in the world, Chels. Eleazar's in Alaska." Annoyance flowed off of him. "Finding someone like it was a hard thing for me," he scoffed under his breath. "They don't call me the best tracker in the world for shits and giggles."

"Enough!" I nearly shouted, I wasn't about to have us bickering just yet. "Let's go inside, and we'll call. We probably shouldn't give a reason else Aro drags it out of us, and try not to trip over each other. They have to know we're standing together here."

"Anybody want to hear my idea?" Bella said meekly. They all copied me as I slowly looked at her, wondering what she could possibly suggest. She didn't know the Ancients.

"We could use some outside input. What you got Bella?" Alec asked, sounded intrigued.

"Demetri, you said you're really the only one who could find us, right? And they have no back-ups?"

"Yes. Aro doesn't want second-best," he replied, trying to figure where this was going, like the rest of us.

"And they probably wouldn't come after us, because of all the gifts here?"

I nodded, her idea finally becoming clearer. If I thought I was insane before, my little hellcat just passed me up.

"Easy, we don't tell them much, only that Felix left," Bella grinned.

"But-" Jane protested. Bella held one finger up to her.

"If we don't say anything. They'll probably assume once Felix left you all went hunting for him. Demetri is tracking him with Heidi and that Chelsea, Jane, and Alec are searching on their own. From what I've heard, they will never guess we're all in this together. And they probably wouldn't get upset until they start falling apart, right?"

"Yes, that's good Bella. But the ranks will start failing in just days," Chelsea said, pointing out the obvious problem.

"I know that. But think about it. If all of you left, with all that in place, imagine how easy others will leave afterwards," Bella finished her argument, rather smugly.

"They'll be destroyed from the inside out," Demetri thought out loud. He liked the idea, as did the rest of us. This might but be as difficult as I thought.

"That's perfect, Bells. We'll come across them eventually, forever is a long time to avoid someone, but we're not a coven they want to take on, regardless. If they tried, the Volturi would be sitting ducks with Alec's power. I say we follow Bella on this one," I said, grinning at her.

"It will only make Caius more furious. If they get word out that we're missing, someone will tell them if they see us. And we can't hide a group this large," Jane mumbled.

"Aw, hell. Caius is a problem. He'll see it as treason, especially once he discovers we're in cahoots with each other. So we risk his wrath now or later." Caius was one hell of a warmonger, and if he had the chance to build up a new Volturi, we were in trouble.

"I say now, while they're weaker for lack of us," Alec reasoned.

"I agree. Sorry, I didn't know about Caius," Bella whispered.

"It's a volunteer thing, you know. They can't do much about us leaving," Heidi replied. "Though if they blamed Chels..."

"Exactly. We should call now. I'll make the call and put it on speaker, so you can chime in if you want. If you don't want it known you're with us, stay quiet. You can decide what you want. Sound like a decent compromise?" I asked, attempting to live up to my new leadership.

"Sounds like a plan," Jane and Demetri smiled.

We paraded into the lodge, sitting on various pieces of furniture in the great room. I was on the couch, with my wife tucked under my arm.

"Is everyone ready for this?" I raised an eyebrow. I knew this was a bad idea, but I personally would rather have to deal with only one murderous Volturi Ancient if I could help it.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Jane scoffed. She was more worried about her own neck, but I couldn't blame her for that.

I lifted my phone from my pants, and dialed the number to the main tourism office they ran. I quickly hit the speakerphone and took a deep breath, knowing I was about to put myself on the chopping block.

"Thank you for calling Volterra Tours Limited. This is Gianna speaking, how may I help you?" Gianna recited in a thick Italian accent.

"Hey Gi, it's Felix. I need to speak with Aro," I said, like I was simply calling to tell him of some inconsequential matter.

"He's in a meeting with Caius and Marcus right now. I can have him call you back." Her politeness was almost annoying.

"No, put me through. I need to speak with them too."

"I can't Lix" – why did she always have to call me that? – "It's a very important meeting."

"What's it about then?" I was getting very irritated.

"If I heard correctly, Jane, Alec, Chelsea and Heidi have gone missing. And without Demetri we can't find them."

Everyone in the room stiffened, it wasn't supposed to happen this fast, not yet.

"Goddamnit Gi, put me through!" I yelled, this was about to get messy.

"Alright, alright, hold for a moment," she sighed as she placed us on hold.

"If they know one of you is here, they'll know it's all of us. Guys, it's all or nothing right now. Make your choice," I said rushed.

"I'm in brother," Demetri smiled.

"I'm in too," Alec stated as Chelsea nodded.

"I'm still here aren't I?" Jane grinned.

"And I'm with you Dem," Heidi said as she caressed his face.

"Bella? You can run if you want, they don't know about you yet," I whispered. I had to gave her the option.

"Not a chance in hell baby, I stand beside my husband, forever," she whispered in return.

A collective breath was sucked in across the room, everyone steeling their nerves for the task to come in just a few seconds. All of us knew this would be the beginning of the end of life as we knew it. Things could go a million different ways, but would never stay the same. The Volturi could fall apart, we could be dead within days. We were about to invoke the biggest change to our world since the Volturi came to power, and not one of us was truly ready for that but we had no choice. It was us or the world, and being essentially selfish creatures, we chose us.

"Felix, this better be of the utmost importance," Aro said politely. I knew Aro was always, without fail, the most dastardly and dangerous when cheerful. The tension in the room grew to monstrous proportions.

"It is Master. I have an issue -"

"An issue? WE have issues Felix!" Caius's anger bled through the phone like a torrent. "Chelsea has disappeared, as have Jane, Alec and Heidi, and Demetri is still with you! Everyone is going insane and it's torture attempting to keep the peace! All the years of latent hostility are boiling to the surface!"

"Really? That's not good," I said calmly, nearly betraying my true emotions. That was not something I needed to add to the situation at that moment.

"Not good is an understatement, dear Felix. We must find Chelsea and have her return before all hell breaks loose here," Aro answered, obviously concerned.

Chelsea sucked in a deep, unnecessary breath, and took a small step forward. Alec quickly moved to her side and wrapped an arm around her waist as he nodded, telling her he would stand beside her.

"I don't think that's going to happen, Aro. I won't be returning," Chelsea stated, more confident that she appeared.

"Chelsea! What's the meaning of this? Is Alec with you?" Caius roared.

"Yes I am, and she nor I will be going back to Volterra. We're done, Caius," Alec answered for Chelsea, sounding wise beyond his years.

"That goes for me as well," Jane stated defiantly. She was not one to back down, ever.

"Felix! What is going on? Have you started a coop to overthrow us?" Caius screeched. I was rather glad we were thousands of miles away, even though his wrath filled the room.

"No, Caius. We all just chose to leave, and if you have a problem with that, then I'm sorry," Demetri said causally.

"Just bad timing I suppose," Heidi added with a glee that was wholly inappropriate for the situation.

"You will all pay for this. This is not a few of the guard deciding to go AWOL, this is a full scale defection!" Caius roared.

"What we have here is the most powerful coven of immortals in the world. If you were wise, you would keep that in mind. We are not looking to challenge you in any way. All we want to be left to our own. You allowed others to leave Aro. How is this different, other than the numbers?" Demetri said with all the poise of the leadership I had been entrusted with. I immediately decided he was my right-hand man, when I realized he had been all along.

"Very true, Demetri. Very well, we will leave you in peace as-"

"WHAT! They are a threat Aro!" I knew that tone from Caius. He was angry, bloodthirsty, and out for vengeance.

"Calm down, brother. They are not a threat...for now." With that, Aro disconnected the call.

No one moved for a long while, or even breathed. The consequences of the past few minutes that seemed hard but endurable just a short time ago now loomed on the horizon as dark and sinister as the deepest pits of hell. There was no turning back, no forgiveness, and no wish to return to the guard we all once loved. And we were all intensely glad, although concerned beyond measure. Eventually, couple by couple, we moved to our own rooms. Only Jane stayed behind, leaving to have her first go at a polar bear.

I quickly caught up to Bella, sweeping her into my stone arms, and carrying her though the heavy wooden doors.

"Our room, my lady," I smiled, intensely grateful to have her to myself for once.

"Felix?"

"Yes?" I answered as I sat her on the bed and settled in next to her.

"Are you sure everything is going to be fine? I mean, they sounded pretty upset and everything," she murmured. I couldn't help but smile at her concern for a group of people she had just met.

"Of course sweetheart. Yes, the Volturi are angry, but it's nothing we didn't expect. We're the strongest coven in existence, Bells. No one in their right mind is going to mess with us," I sighed, wishing she would understand that we had this under control to the best of our ability. "Plus, I doubt Victoria has stopped hunting you and I have no clue what kind of reaction she's going to have after she learns you're a vampire, Hellcat. I think that should be our main priority. And there's...others would be interested to know of your change." I eyed her, hoping she would understand who I meant without making me break my promise of never mentioning the Cullens again.

"You really think Victoria would still come after me?"

"Our kind tend to live by a different set of morality then the rest of the world. Killing a mate is the gravest of offenses, and it doesn't matter why. Once you find them, you can't live without them, and taking someone's other half away is unforgivable in the eyes of the mate. So yes, but she might think twice once she gets an eye full of me," I said with a crooked grin. It still surprised me Bella didn't see the terror I usually induced in others, but I assumed being one of the few I would never consider hurting tended to dampen that reaction.

She wrapped her tiny arms around me and suddenly I felt beyond nervous. All my training and experience meant absolutely nothing in this moment. We knew was about to happen, but neither of us were prepared for it. How did someone trust another person so completely? I had no idea and I doubted she did either.

I finally made the decision to throw caution to the wind and roll with it. She was my wife and that's all I could ever ask for.

The morning sun rose, barely concealed by the fog that swept across the Arctic plain. The sizable lodge had changed that night, thanks to the efforts of Bella and myself.

"Felix, I do understand, I really do. But if you don't fix the wall, we're going to have issues," Demetri chided over his shoulder as I walked onto the porch, still shirtless.

"Honestly, you could have wakened the dead last night too Dem," a slight laugh came from the corner. Alec was standing with his arms around Chelsea like a statue.

"Oh, speak for yourself!" Demetri snapped at Alec.

"Both of you shut it. Dem, I'll fix the wall...when I get around to it."

"On second thought Felix, forget about it."

"I will fix it bro. Hey, can you track that Victoria?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

"No, I haven't been around her. You're still worried about her?"

"More like annoyed. I rather not be annoyed," I shrugged.

"Who's Victoria?" Alec questioned. Of course he would, he had no idea about half the things that had happened in his absence.

"This bitch that was hunting Bella from a lifetime ago. She's not a threat, but no one messes with my Bella. It's basically one less thing I have to deal with."

"Wow, you're really in love with her aren't you?" Alec smirked. I didn't really expect most of them to understand. Being alone for fourteen hundred years and suddenly falling for a human was beyond the realm of comprehension for our kind.

"Is it that obvious?" I smirked.

"Yeah. It is," Chelsea finally spoke up. "Hey Jane. How was the local fare?"

"Ugh. I'll never get used to it," she snarled. Jane was the most opposed to the diet change, but still trusted my judgment.

Demetri instinctively spun around, looking right past me to the arctic wasteland to the south. Terror ripped through my mind as I finally understood his bewildered expression. The few people who knew that look knew nothing good was coming. Surprises were rarely good, especially since no could have found us here, or so I thought.

"Who?" My voice cracked in a panicked whisper.

"Carlisle."

"Carlisle? As in Cullen?" Alec asked, just as confused as I was.

"What? The Cullens' are here?" Bella gasped as he flitted to my side at full vampire speed, with the others in tow.

Chelsea sank into a slight crouch, brushing off Alec's attempts to get her into an less confrontational stance. I put my arm around my wife, positioning myself to protect her from whatever was coming along with the Cullens.

"How the hell did they find us?" Demetri roared. "No one even knows about Bella yet!"

"Alice can see the future. She must have seen me change, or you take me Felix, and figured out we were here," Bella whispered.

"She what? That's a problem," Heidi sighed. "Bella, how do you think they'll respond?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. Edward will not be pleasant. He was very against changing me. I don't know about the others."

I was surprised at her nonchalant tone, considering just a few days ago she couldn't even think about them without nearly ripping her soul in half. It was more than a touchy subject and I knew better than to rock with boat with my new wife. I could only hope this would go as smoothly as possible and we would walk away with our lives, and with Bella. Selfishly, I wanted her to choose me over them. Most of me knew she would, but some small part told me there was a connection there deeper than I could have imagined.

"They're close, maybe ten minutes out and running at full speed," Demetri informed us.

"Bells, anything else we should know? Now would be the time to tell us," I said as my eyes settled on the horizon.

"Edward can read minds and Jasper can control emotions. Emmett's almost as big as you Felix," Bella murmured as she sank into my side.

"Oh goody. This should be fun. We don't want a fight guys, so don't start shit. I mean it Jane!" I said to my coven.

"I'm not planning on it, Felix. You're the boss. But I will defend us if necessary."

"I expect nothing less. Bells is our priority here. I'm pretty sure they're here for her." As the last word left my lips, seven dark shapes appeared through the trees.

Within half a second, a young bronze-haired vampire was standing only fifteen feet in front of Bella and I. The pure rage and sadness on his face told me it must be Edward.

"Yes, I am," he snarled, looking ready to take me on. It wouldn't be a fair fight, but if Bella was at stake, I didn't care.

Bella sank closer into my side, like I was her white knight, as his gaze met her and the other Cullens caught up. Carlisle looked at Bella and then at me, with the most puzzled look on his face. I thought that must have been my expression when I realized I fell in love with a human.

"You what?" Edward whispered, no doubt in response to my thoughts.

"I love her," I said with as much conviction as I felt.

"I'll be damned if Bella is going with the Volturi," he spat back.

"You're not as good as the rumors say. The Volturi is falling at our hand."

"You brought down the Volturi?" Carlisle asked in awe. He knew how loyal we once were, and the implications of our actions.

"Yes, we did. Half the guard is here, this isn't a vacation. But what business of yours is it anyway?" Jane snapped.

"Business of ours? You have Bella! She's mine!" Edward roared.

I pushed Bella behind me at the mention that Edward somehow 'owned' her. Of course, being Bella, she simply stepped around me, fury and hurt in her beautiful scarlet eyes.

"You left Edward! I went through hell because of you!"

"I left for your protection! I wouldn't have if I knew this slime would have found you!"

She darted in front of him at the mention of me. They stood toe to toe, all the anger in the world flowing between them. I realized 'hellcat' did describe her perfectly when she was seething.

"This 'slime' is my husband. Back off, Edward," she hissed through clenched teeth. Low growls built in the chests of our coven as the Cullens didn't react, although it was obvious it took some effort.

"He changed you! He could have killed you!"

"No, I couldn't have. I could never harm her!" I roared, now standing directly behind Bella, towering over them both.

"You already did, Felix!"

"I chose him Edward! He loves me, unlike you!"

"What?" He was clearly taken back by her accusation. Despair replaced his rage as he stepped back from her.

"She was completely broken when I saved her. She wanted to come with me, and who was I to deny her fate?"

"Broken?"

"Yes, Edward. Broken. Felix changed everything, allowing me to leave you and my human life behind."

"But...but I love you," he whispered, realizing she was gone.

I couldn't help but feel a bit smug that I got the girl, although I'd never tell anyone that. He deserved every bit of his self-inflicted torment for hurting Bella so deeply. If it was anyone else, and his family wasn't standing there, I would have hurled him into the next hemisphere.

"I'm sorry Edward," she said sternly as her arms wound around my waist. I knew her well enough that I knew she wasn't trying to be callous, although I didn't mind. Bella was simply wanting to put that part of her life in the ground, and I couldn't blame her.

"We've got bigger issues to worry about than you showing up. What's left of the Volturi is going to be hunting us soon, no doubt. We just want to be left in -"

"Wait, Felix. Carlisle's already here, we don't have to go looking for Elezar, if he's agreeable," Demetri mused.

"Agreeable? What are you talking about?" Carlisle asked, thoroughly confused.

"Well, we're all following Bella's lead and changing to animals. We need some guidance. Although given the current tensions, I don't think it's the best idea to receive it from you and your lot."

"If you have the Volturi coming for you, I'm fairly sure you could use some help. This is far enough away from humans, fourteen of us shouldn't draw too much attention. Edward, do you have a problem?"

"As long as she's happy," he whispered, sinking deeper into the realization that she was gone.

"Anyone else?"

Negatives resounded from the coven as they relaxed. No one else seemed as upset about the current situation as Edward, although Bella was clinging to me for dear life. She didn't want them to stick around, and I agreed, but we did need the help and the added protection was a plus.

"Give us a minute to discuss this, Carlisle. I'm sure you would like the opportunity to as well."

"Indeed."

"As we all know, this is a tricky situation. So, I propose we come up with some sort of agreement we can all live by."

"I agree, Felix. Are you the head of your coven?"

"Yes, the Skylars. We kind of decided to rip off your family idea, my apologies."

"No apology needed," Carlisle laughed.

"There's polar bears north if you need them. Perhaps we could meet here in two hours?"

"Sounds good. It was a long run," Carlisle grinned as the Cullen family flitted off to the arctic wasteland.

I gently guided Bella into the lodge, with Demetri and Heidi right behind. Slowly, Jane, Alec and Chelsea followed, settling into the same spots we had for the fateful call to Volterra.

"Felix, are you sure this is the best idea? I don't want to see Bella hurt over Edward being here," Jane sighed, always the over-analzyer.

"Jane, I'm fine, really," Bella smirked. "I let him go after I met Felix. I'm more concerned about Edward and Felix not getting along honestly. And we really could use Carlisle's help."

"What about the others?" Alec chimed in.

"I'm fine with them too. As long as I'm happy, and I am, they shouldn't be a problem."

"Bella, if you're really okay with this, we'll make it work. I can handle myself around Edward. I can't promise he'll behave though."

With that, the room morphed into separate conversations. Bella and I simply snuggled on the couch, just happy to be together.

"Bella, let me ask you something," I sighed. I felt like I was beating a dead horse with a stick, but something about the Cullens possibly staying here unnerved me. "Are you really alright with them staying for a while? Things aren't going to be easy between Edward and myself. He hates me, that much is obvious. And...I can't lose you."

"Felix," she whispered as her hand caressed my face and she turned to face me. "I love you. I loved him at one time, but the scars he left in his wake will never heal, and I can't dwell on that. I'm not going to choose him over you. And he probably hates you mainly for changing me. And my personal feelings aside, we need the help, so quit worrying about it."

"I know, love, but it's a delicate situation."

"Felix, they're coming back. Want to go outside?" Demetri called over Heidi's shoulder.

I sighed and looked at Bella for any sort of guidance, finding only conformation of what she said before. "Nah, they can come in."

"Felix? May I speak with you outside?" I heard Carlisle call for me still yards from the porch. I can't say I wasn't expecting something of the sort. This was a unique situation and not one you could endure long without a more in-depth discussion among the key people involved.

As I walked through the door, I could hear Carlisle arguing with Edward in hushed whispers. I didn't even have to guess what the spat was about, and it was decidedly one-sided, mainly Edward arguing against Carlisle's thoughts. This realization brought me up short, knowing he could hear me. Over the centuries I have become too used to my thoughts being private until Aro touched me, but that hadn't been the case in decades.

The glare I received from Edward confirmed my suspicions. Of course, the fact I couldn't keep my mind off Bella for more than a few seconds didn't help matters any. He knew as well as I did you can't help who you fall in love with, but I also knew how powerful love was in our kind. I had seen far too many covens fell at our during the plague of the Immortal Children. Battles in which they had no hope of winning, all to protect something so lovable yet so volatile they could not be allowed to exist. At least Aro was compassionate enough to not allow the children to suffer as they burned thanks to Alec, not so for their creators.

Edward shivered at my recollection of those wars. Those were times I didn't want to remember, much less force onto him. I made a mental note to attempt to control my more unpleasant thoughts, for both our sakes.

"Thank you. I'd appreciate that," Edward sighed, apparently still trying to let my memories fall out of his mind. I might have had a reputation, but I did my best to avoid excessive unnecessary harm. Jane was the one to watch out for in that regard, although Alec generally stepped in if need be.

"Felix, I believe we need to discuss the current state of things, if we all expect to maintain some sense of civility here. I would like to know as much as you're willing to tell us," Carlisle stated in a low voice once I was within earshot.

I shot a sideways glance at Edward, wondering if he was here to simply determine if I was lying or not.

"No. I'm here because I wouldn't be able to not hear your thoughts at this distance, and I'm concerned about Bella, as I'm sure you understand." Edward smirked as he spoke, no doubt automatically answering my thoughts instead of a stated question.

"Oh, I understand. I'd just assume to keep Bella out of this, seeing as it will only lead to problems," I replied. We needed the help but I began to wonder if it wouldn't just be better to seek out Eleazar.

"Well, I-" Edward started.

"Edward. I suggest you two get Bella out of the way. That way, we can get to the matter at hand with fewer distractions and you'll be less likely to erupt into a brawl later." Carlisle was a wise man, he certainly knew both of us well enough to know if we couldn't resolve this peacefully now, there would be no point in the Cullens staying.

"My main question is for the love of God, why did you change her?" Edward hissed, like he thought I have committed the worse crime imaginable.

"What was I supposed to do? I've lived fourteen hundred years and finally find her, and I'm just going to let her wilt away like all the other humans?"

"Exactly! She doesn't deserve this life!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? You're too good for her? She asked me to! I could never deny her anything, much less her heart's greatest desire! She wants to be with me for the rest of time, and there's no way I would deny myself that, much less her!" With random flickers, the events of the last week swept through my mind. I couldn't control the flow of the strong memories, but if anyone could understand, it was Edward with his front row seat.

"No, she was too good for us, for our kind," he whispered, after evaluating my thoughts. "I never wanted this for her."

"Maybe that's why things happened the way they did," I mused.

Within a fraction of a second, I was toe to toe with Edward. A low hiss escaped through his teeth, although I couldn't blame him any. I'd be the first one in line to tango with anyone who even thought of doing wrong by Bella. A second later, he backed off, but not before I heard Demetri stop in the door way, preparing to rush to my aid.

"I left her because I wanted her to have a normal life!"

"Edward, you know as well as I do Bella is far from normal. She would have never had a normal life, especially after becoming aware of us."

He sighed, nodded, and motioned for me to go on. Over the next hour, I recounted in detail the events leading up to this moment, mainly for Carlisle's benefit, as the others began to gather around. Bella finally wandered over, snuggling into my side, removing all doubt of who she wanted.

In her eyes, I saved her. In his, I damned her. This one opinion was what this tenuous relationship balanced on, and not even Alice could see the outcome.

**A/N: Once again, I am SO sorry it took me months to get this up. I had some personal things going on and my laptop was on the fritz, so I basically having to rewrite all the chapters I haven't posted yet, going on notes and memory. I swear to God I'll be better and won't do that again. :) Plus, I'm on a deadline since I'm leaving for boot camp in the summer, and I don't know how much time after that I'll have to write. Thank you for all the reviews and favorites, I LOVE YOU! :)**

**-Amanda**


	8. Family, Friends And Enemies

**A/N: I told you that the wait would be as long. :) So here's chapter eight. It's slightly eventful and was pretty entertaining to write. I know it's not super long, but bear with me.**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_Family, Friends, and Enemies_

All was quiet and the days went by with a strange mix of goofing off and tension. Things between Edward and Bella were better than anyone could have hoped for, although they were distant. Edward and I had a mutual understanding to stay out of each other's way, and that was fine by me. Bella and I did our best to keep the affection to a minimum around Edward, at her request. Personally, I had no problem rubbing it in his face.

Surprisingly enough, Heidi and Rosalie had bonded. They were both vain as all hell and they had this whole friendly rivalry between them. Jane and Edward hit it off, being the two loners and tended to chill when the rest were having some couple time. Essentially, we all got along great, except for the obvious, and we all agreed to let that stay between Bella, Edward and I. Given the situation, we couldn't afford to be choosy with our allies. As the days turned into weeks, those allies became friends.

Alice and Bella were settled on a large, fluffy blanket on the ground, chatting about various things, including the events since September.

"Have you heard anything from Forks?" Bella asked. I was a be shocked she brought it up. She hadn't said a word about it since we left.

"I kept tabs on Charlie for a while," Alice sighed.

"Oh God. I can't believe that slipped my mind!" I could tell Bella was mentally kicking herself.

"Human memories fade rather rapidly, Bella. He does believe the faked suicide or cliff diving or whatever you wanted him to think. He's doing alright under the circumstances, so don't worry. He doesn't blame you, he blames Edward." I felt horrible for putting her father through that, but Alice's reassurances convince Bella she did in fact give him the most closure possible.

Thankfully, the chatter moved on to some annoying boy named Mike and his friend Eric who were apparently chasing Bella, and their feeble attempts to woo her last year. That morphed into all the things girls did to try and date Edward in years past.

"Hey Felix, I need to hunt. Come with?" Emmett grinned. We had developed a strong friendship, due to our love of a good fight and a similar sense of humor. Hunting with Emmett was always fun, and I desperately needed the reprieve from the current conversation. If he was uncomfortable, he knew I was two seconds away from clawing my ears off.

"Sure, it's been a few days. But this time, if you push me in the ocean, I'll bury you under a glacier," I replied with a smirk, recalling last week when Demetri and him teamed up on me and tossed me off an iceberg into the arctic waters.

"There's no glaciers around here, smart ass. But if you did, I'd only have bust my way out," he said punching my arm.

"I didn't say it would be here. I'd take you to Antarctica. Don't worry though, I'll toss in a few penguins to keep you company."

"Penguins, lovely." He rolled his eyes and headed out another busted wall I had yet to fix with me right on his tail.

It was entertaining to watch Emmett wrestle a polar bear with no chance of winning just for the hell of it. Usually, I preferred to just kill it and get it over with so I could get back to my wife. Hunting didn't hold the same appeal for me in once did.

We were still about ten miles away from the lodge when I spotted a vague shape on the horizon. I couldn't smell humans and a millisecond later the realization of what it was hit me. I held my arm in front of Emmett and held a finger to my lips, stopping him dead. He raised an eyebrow, silently asking what I was doing. I glanced to my right just in time to see Demetri running full speed towards us. In a second, he skidded to a stop between Emmett and myself.

"We have a problem," Demetri breathed. I barely acknowledged him, as Emmett's head snapped back and forth between myself, Demetri and the figures. "They picked up the pace so they already spotted us."

"I know, Dem. Who is it?" I asked more growling than saying, not taking my eyes off the figures moving over the ice.

"Santiago and Afton," he snarled.

"How the hell did they find us?" The ire in my voice was more than apparent. First the Cullens had found us and now they had too. "So much for being on the lam," I snorted

"Wait, what?" Emmett asked, trying to catch up with the situation, yet still changing his stance to something more defensive. I realized we hadn't completely filled everyone in on all of the workings and members of the Volturi, and I honestly didn't think it mattered until now.

"Volturi guard," I spit through my teeth. I never dreamed they would come so soon.

"What the hell do they want? I should go get Edward and Jasper." Emmett began to turn towards the house, but Demetri stopped him. We both knew it was too late to get the others in time. We didn't need the extra help anyway, but an extra guy would be nice. Especially since Emmett and I were both large and scary, usually. Jasper's many scars would probably have made them reconsider though.

"No, I already know what they came here for. And they brought friends," I said, sinking into a slight crouch, as Demetri followed in kind. "They were sent by Caius is my guess, Aro isn't stupid enough not bring what's left of the guard, and Marcus couldn't care less either way. And it's not to talk us into coming back."

"How many?" Emmett hissed as he moved to my side.

"Eight. We don't know the other six they brought. Must be nomads or mercs." Demetri was pissed he couldn't track the others until now, and it was showing. If we had to fight, having him angry was a good thing. He looked slight compared to Emmett and I, but I had no doubt he could easily kill Emmett and it would be a bitter fight with me.

Within fifteen seconds, they were within half a mile of us. I offered to let Emmett go back to the lodge, but there was no way he would miss out on this. A warning to the Skylars and Cullens wasn't needed, since Alice already knew and Edward would the moment the small mob got within a few miles.

"Eight against three?" I scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Demetri and Emmett both answered. Demetri let out a dark chuckle and Emmett didn't sound uncertain, but he was not overjoyed by the odds. But then again, he'd never seen me really fight.

"They are so outnumbered," I said as a murderous, bloodthirsty smile grew across my face, baring my teeth. "Bring it."

Another second passed, and Santiago was standing just out of arm's reach. He was wearing a smug little grin that just made my fury boil over leaving no doubt as to who actually sent him. We had never been friends, and he was a cocky enough bastard to take Caius's orders to kill me with undue joy and some ungodly confidence that he took actually take me on and win. I idly wondered what he did to piss Caius off.

"Hola, Felix." His thick Spaniard accent was a sharp contrast to Demetri's English/Russian blend and my perfected generic mix I had adapted over the years.

"Santiago. Should I ask how you are or skip the pleasantries?" I asked, ever the smart ass. I heard a small snicker from Emmett and Demetri at my side.

"I'd just assume skip it." He really had no idea what he was about to unleash. Sure he'd seen me fight before, but it's a quite different story when you're fighting against me, particularly since he didn't know about Bella, which only made me deadlier. "We all know why Afton and I-"

I didn't even let him finish as I darted forward and ripped his throat out with surprisingly little effort. I tossed his head over my shoulder with a snarl from the center of my chest, as Demetri had a go at two of the gruffer newcomers. Emmett was holding his own against Afton and another, leaving three of the vampires for me.

"Grab him!" One of the nomads called to the one I had by the arm trying to get a decent grip on my head. I effectively tore off the arm to a scream of protest. I smacked the other across the face with it, disorienting him enough to trip and remove the hand of another about to tackle Demetri from behind.

Demetri spun around to continue dismembering the poor bastards that had been egotistical enough to think the smallest of us three wouldn't be a match for them. Apparently, they had no idea who we were, which honestly didn't surprise me. Caius wouldn't want it widely known the backbone of the guard had turned away.

Emmett was actually phenomenal and a natural born fighter, as I assumed he had rarely fought like this before. Considering that, I charged at Afton, pointing Emmett towards the others. This was my coven, my Bella I was protecting, and I'd be damned if anyone but me was going to turn the Volturi guards to ash.

"You treasonous bastard!" Afton roared at me as I kicked him into the thick ice, face down severing his right leg and left arm.

"You should know better! Always following Caius to the letter! How dare you think you were any match for me! And now look where your loyalty got you!" I bellowed half a second before I removed his head from his shoulders with a more flare than was needed. "Go to hell," I snarled, turning to find my next unfortunate opponent.

The sounds of granite skin against skin mixed with laughs from Emmett thoroughly enjoying himself rang out across the frozen landscape. It was truly an unmistakable racket for our kind. Within a couple of minutes, the entire Cullen and Skylar clans were running towards us. By the time they reached us, Emmett and Demetri finished piling the corpses and I had lit a match. The three of us were laughing and commenting on one another's fighting styles.

"Remind me never to piss you off Felix! You missed all the fun, Jazz!" Emmett chuckled as the eleven immortals slowed to a walk. Jasper cracked a smile, but none of the other Cullens did. They knew the skirmish could have turn deadly for us if anyone else had to face them three on eight.

All of the previous members of the guard were in different states of mind, but all securely within the 'that was idiotic' camp. Jane and Alec were smirking as shaking their heads at the enemies' over-confidence. Heidi was checking her husband over, still worried about Demetri, although she knew he could handle himself. She had witnessed him single-handedly kill an entire coven because they threatened her as a newborn for hunting in their territory.

Bella took one sweeping glance at the aftermath of the scuffle and flew to my side, hugging a bit too tight. Thankfully, she loosened her grip with a gently spoken "Bells." She removed one arm from my waist to caress my face, ensuring I was unhurt.

Edward didn't approve, but I didn't give a damn. He huffed under his breath and I simply rolled my eyes. She initiated the contact, not me, so I knew she didn't realize or care he was standing nearby, but I definitely wasn't going to object.

"Is that Afton? What the bloody hell?" Chelsea shrieked. She was a bit more panicked than I expected. "Damn, I know you hated Santiago, but Afton didn't deserve this, he was your friend."

"Probably pissed Caius off with one of Santiago and his stupid antics. Regardless, he chose his side. And I will protect this family by all means necessary. I have no idea how they found us, but they did. We have to move, now," I grumbled, tossing the match and watching the thick purple smoke bellow upwards.

"They weren't here to wish us well. They had nomadic mercenaries with them. This is a huge problem," Demetri sighed.

"So what does this mean?" Bella asked, finally breaking her gaze from me and settled on the fire.

"It means the Volturi will stop at nothing now, if they're looking for outside help for a supposed routine clean up job. I honestly didn't think they were obtuse enough to take us on yet, but we'll soon feel the full weight of the Volturi bear on us," Chelsea answered.

"Well, that actually depends on who sent them and who knew about it. If it was Aro, then yes, it's a huge problem. If it's Caius, I assume he didn't consult Aro and he can be a bit rash. In which case, it's still a problem, but we should be fine for a while," Jane clarified.

"It was Caius, that much was obvious. And on the contrary, Caius is more of a threat. He's a bloodthirsty hooligan with no remorse and no regard of who dies in the process. Aro would never approve a hunting party of seven of his best, unless he knew he had no other opinion. In that predicament, it would have been a slaughter. I'm willing to bet one of them was a tracker, and a damn good one at that. That's the only way they could have come here." I would have been falling apart at the mere thought of Bella in the mists of the Ancients wrath, if she wasn't at my side refusing to let go. "Regardless, Carlisle, you and your family should get going. I refuse to drag you into this."

"Hell is about to rain down on us, and there's no reason for you to be caught in the crossfire," Demetri added, snaking his arm around Heidi.

"The fourteen of us can get an awfully big umbrella," Edward said, surprising us all. Not one of his family disagreed and I assumed it was because they weren't going to bail on Bella although I was more than capable of protecting her. If we had to, the seven of us were much easier to hide than fourteen.

"That's almost accurate Felix. We've all made friendships here, and we don't ignore our friends when they need help. No, there's no way we can hide all of us, but it will make them think twice. And regardless of my personal feelings towards you, I know you have her best interest at heart. And I don't want to see any of you lost. You said it yourself: 'by all means necessary.'"

"Alight then." That's all I could manage, being rendered nearly speechless. We all were. Our self-preservation instincts were normally so strong that few things short of a mate could overrule it.

Things were uneventful over the following couple months. Aside from Edward disappearing for a few days here and there, he didn't show any outward side of his opinion toward Bella and myself. I was grateful for that. I was still reminded nearly every day of how bat-shit insane I was for falling for a human to begin with.

"Morning Esme, just get back from hunting?" Bella ask her cheerfully.

Esme still had a strong mother-daughter relationship with her in spite of everything. She'd even practically adopted us all. Jane and Alec were getting a kick out of that, considering their past. I was the overprotective big brother, but I couldn't play mother too. Ironically, for Bella not wanting kids, she slipped into that role right alongside Esme.

"Yes. We actually had to go over ninety miles away. Speaking of that, where's Felix? Carlisle and I need a word. He should be here shortly," she smiled, cheerful as always. I never wondered about her ability to accept everyone, and love them as her own. It just came so naturally to her.

"Right here Esme," I said as a bounded down the stairs, smiling. It was impossible to be in a bad mood around the likes of Bella and Esme.

Jasper helped with that too at times, especially when all the stress of being responsible for my coven began to get to me. I was having to learn to deal with it through trial and error. Carlisle was invaluable since the only example I had before was the Volturi, and I scoffed at the thought. It was a huge obligation I felt, but I wouldn't trade it for the world, it was like I had my human family back.

I understood I couldn't exactly copy Carlisle's style, due to our Volturi backgrounds, but Jazz stepped up to the plate there with his knowledge of managing newborns. We were incredibly disciplined, but Chelsea's promise to stay out of our relationships unless it was completely vital made for volatile temper flairs and hissy fits at times. I had already bitched out Jane for tormenting Demetri after he made a crack about her and Edward hooking up.

"Let me make it abundantly clear, Jane. You keep pulling shit like that, and anything you do to jeopardize this coven will get you kicked out on your ass," I told her. Of course, I would never actually send her away, but the threat was enough to keep her in line.

This new diet and family structure had changed us all. We had more respect for human life, slowly realizing the toll all the lives we had taken had caused. Jane was less bitchy in general (mainly after our little chat), and we were all closer than ever. And best of all, Bella fit perfectly in the middle. I confess I was a little worried about her and her place in the defecting guard, being an outsider and the root cause that started the fall from grace. Instead of blaming her, they all rallied around her. I doubted she had ever had that level of support in her human life.

"Hey, Carlisle. You wanted to speak to me? Should we go somewhere more private?" I asked when he strode through the back door.

"No, this is fine. It's just with the fourteen of us, I'm concerned about us depleting the local wildlife."

"Ah, you're thinking it's time to move on," I nodded.

"Yes. And with us being forced to hunt farther and farther away, we don't have the protection in numbers we once did. Alice can keep watch on Aro and Caius, and we'll find you at the first sign of trouble. But we cannot continue to hunt here and remain inconspicuous," he said apologetically. It baffled me that he felt bad about leaving.

"I agree. Also, the ice will be thinning soon and there's no guarantee the ice won't fully melt here come summer. It's been a trend the past several years," Demetri chimed in from the couch.

"Where will you go?" Bella asked.

"Back to New York, we're already set up there, and I see no reason to move again. Plus Esme put a lot of work into our house there," he replied while smiling at his wife. "Do you have any plans?"

"I have a few ideas. A couple of us have houses and places throughout the world, although the problem lies in that this is the only one a remaining member of the Volturi had no knowledge of. We'll figure it out." I shrugged, I didn't really have a clue what we were going to do, although I knew this was coming, I hadn't put much thought into it.

"Well, I have a suggestion. As long as you promise to leave it standing and not destroy the décor," Esme spoke up. She glanced at Carlsile's knowing grin before continuing and handing me a piece of paper. "I have an island, around thirty miles off the coast of Rio. There's the exact location and all the information you need. Take the speed boat, and you'll be able to get to the mainland to hunt easily. Please don't kill off the dolphins," she smirked.

"Wow. Esme. I-I don't know what to say," I whispered, still recovering from the shock.

"It's the safest place we could think of. We're not even allowed to go there that often. It's not on any map, and it's easy to miss if you don't know it's there," Rosalie said stepping around the corner.

"Rose, you're not allowed because you and Emmett have demolished every house we've build you," Esme chided.

"Hey, you know how those things go," Emmett shrugged, laughing with Demetri.

"Anyway, you're be alright there. And I doubt the Volturi would even consider you relying on someone else," Carlisle said, giving me a look that I knew better than to argue against.

"As I reminder, it's a loan. So if you break it, fix it. I mean you Felix." Esme glared at me with the stare that only mothers had mastered. Everyone lost it and started laughing, knowing full well I still had not patched up the wall. We would never return, so it hardly mattered now, but I thought Esme might want her house back in one piece.

The next day, we all said our goodbyes. The girls' were all heartfelt, especially between Bella, Alice and Esme. The guys' were a little more 'see you later bro' with some side jokes thrown in. Jane and Edward weren't too thrilled about being the odd one out again, and their parting gestures reflected that.

"Felix, you take care of her. She's one of a kind," Edward said as he shook my hand, after exchanging a quick goodbye and hug with Bella.

"You know better than most I will. She's everything, priceless."

"Yeah, I know," he answered in a whispered sigh.

I wasn't really concerned about how he felt about my feelings towards my wife. He did deserve to know that she was the most important thing in my existence, though. I would defend her until I was burned to ash, and that wouldn't stop me from trying even then.

"She's lucky to have you, Felix," he responded to my thoughts and motioned to his family it was time to leave.

With one last round of farewells and hugs, they started running to the southeast to restart their human charade in Ithaca, New York.

I was never more thankful to count Carlisle and his as good friends and extended family. His guidance and support had saved my sanity while adjusting to my new role and coping with things no one should have to. Being on the side of the hunted, instead of the hunters we were used to, had changed us. Just a little, but enough to not think we were as invincible as we once did.

Perhaps realizing that was the third best thing that ever happened to me, the other two being finding Bella and my immortality. In a strange twist, all three of those things seems intertwined. I would have never known my soul mate if I wasn't around to wait fourteen centuries for her. I would have never found her in the forest without my vampire senses or been able to save her from Laurent without them. And I finally understood that I could realistically lose her, lose everything, which made me even more determine to protect it at all cost. It also made me more vengeful and that could only help if we did have to stare down the Volturi. If you don't have a reasonable fear of failing, you tend to take what you have for granted. I prayed that my changed outlook counted for something, I needed all the help I could get. When you have years and years of enemies and out in the cold alone, all you can do is keep your head down and try to survive.

**A/N: Hooray for chapter eight. Sorry but they was no way in hell I was going to keep writing for 14 different characters for the rest of this story. Plus, the Cullen have been written to death (my crew's not far behind but they haven't been written quite like this). I'm working on chapter 9 right now and cleaning it up, so it will be up soon. Also, don't fret, I'm not turning the Skylars into a bunch of pansies! ;) **

**Thank you from the bottom of my heart of the reviews, you guys make my day!**


	9. By Land And Sea

**A/N: I'm back again, and I believe this is the longest chapter yet (13 pages on my laptop). Have to give a shout out to Readstar, she's awesome. To be completely honestly, I'm not happy with this chapter, but I've tried and failed to rewrite to my liking a couple times. Also, they will more or less be jumping all over the world, trying to stay one step ahead of the Volturi. I do sincerely apologize for this taking so long, life's been a bit more than insane.**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

**By Land And Sea**

Heidi insisted we stay at the lodge for one more day. I reluctantly agreed, realizing this would be the last time she would view the stars from her favorite place on the planet.

"Hey, Dem? We need to figure out how we are going to get down to Isle Esme," I said, jumping over the couch and planting myself next to him flipping through the binder of DVDs.

"Hmm. It's going to be impossible to avoid humans all the way, and Bella's still a newborn. So I suggest we swim."

"Oh HELL no Demetri!" Chelsea and Heidi both groaned from the rug they were sprawled out on.

"Agreed! Although maybe I could swim with Bella, and you all can fly?"

"Honestly, I rather not split up. Things are sketchy enough as is," Demetri countered.

"Good point. We don't have a plane anymore, and we can't exactly commandeer one nowadays. Perhaps we can drive," I mused.

"Brilliant! I'll be right back," Demetri grinned. He flitted up the stairs to the master bedroom and returned a quarter of a second later with a couple rather large duffel bags. "Heidi, how much is in here?"

"Two hundred forty thousand in US dollars and another hundred grand in Canadian. If you leave now, you'll be back by nightfall with something. Get an Escalade or Expedition. Something big." She barely even looked up from her book. I finally caught on to what he was thinking.

"I want to go!" Alec yelled from the roof.

"And a black one, bro," I grinned.

"Roger that. Alec you coming?" he called, before disappearing a second later, as I saw Alec drop past the window.

I chuckled and shook my head at Alec's excitement at something that simple, he really was going stir-crazy. Picking up the DVDs, I spotted a movie we hadn't seen an thousand times and put it in, as we settled in for another slow day.

"Bella, what in God's name are you doing?" I asked in disbelief, rounding the corner to our suite a few hours later, responding to a loud crash and the need to pack my things.

"Oh, um...sorry, Felix. Bella fell into the bed!" Jane squealed.

"Whatever! You pushed me!" she said between giggles.

Feathers were flying everywhere, and a sizable pile of emptied pillows were tossed on the bed.

"You do know Heidi's going to kill you. She's quite partial to those pillows."

They faces dropped and turned to overdone mock horror at the sound of Heidi approaching behind me. I pivoted to face her and was immediately hit square in the head by a pillow-wielding, hysterical Heidi.

"Oh that's it!" I smirked, playfully tossing Heidi through the broken wall along with Jane. "Well, Bella, looks like you won."

I moved beside her and gave her a wink. I chuckled lightly as I picked bits of fluff out of her hair. She was still so radiant, so full of life, even though she had every reason to be spiraling into a world of worry and bad emotions considering the last few months. I knew I had a big role in that, and it was refreshing to truly feel wanted and needed for a change.

"Felix! Why the bloody hell did my wife nearly land on the Expedition?" Demetri griped from the porch.

"Sorry! Are we fueled up and ready to go?"

"No, I left it empty just for you," he answered sarcastically. "I'm driving!"

"Actually Dem, I need you in the back on the other side of Bella." His grin quickly dropped as he nodded. Thankfully he picked up on why I needed him there, and I didn't want to make Bella feel uncomfortable, like she had to be babysat. It was her morals we were following.

"Why? I was going to sit by you and Jane?" Bella asked, totally baffled.

"Stopping for gas could get a little...violent," I admitted.

"Violent? What?" The puzzled expression told me more than her words did.

"If a human gets too close, I don't want you pouncing on them and doing something you'll regret later. You're still stronger than me and it would take both myself and Dem to hold you back and maybe drag you away if we needed to."

"Oh. That's understandable," she nodded. "Just don't let go of me if that happens."

"I'm driving then!" Jane snickered as she snatched the keys from Demetri. Various responses echoed throughout the house from laughs to groans, as we made our way to the SUV for the long drive south.

Having an all-terrain vehicle made a huge difference in time. Normally we weren't too concerned about getting somewhere as soon as possible. Now, running from the Volturi, we needed every second of a head start we could get.

"Jane, your driving skills leave something to be desired," Bella sighed, as the speedometer lurched upwards, finally turning onto a road we could go a more agreeable speed on.

"Oh, certainly, I'll drive more reasonably like the five hundred year old woman I am! I've been driving far longer than you. Never a ticket, never pulled over, never a crash. And you think this is bad, wait until nightfall." Jane was annoyed but knew she meant well. Old habits die hard.

"She actually does drive like a bat out of hell. Although a nearly indestructible vamp worried about a car crash? Really Bells," I chuckled.

"I didn't mean the speed. Chels just cracked the paneling after that turn," she replied, pointing over her shoulder to Chelsea and Alec trying to somehow fix the paneling.

"Oh, sorry Chelsea! I'll try to keep the sharp turns to a minimum."

Finally the sun dipped below the horizon as the headlights stayed off and the speedometer rose. One of the unexpected perks of flawless night vision was gaining a lot of ground at night, due to the ridiculous speed and no one able to see us coming.

I had to say, I was pretty impressed with Demetri and Alec's foresight to install a fuel reserve so we only had to stop half as often for gas. It worked out to filling up at some back country station at three in the morning.

Demetri stepped out to purchase the gasoline with a borrowed credit card from the Cullens. In that half a second, everything turned to chaos. Bella inhaled and stiffened as the scent of humans hit me. She bolted out of the SUV, nearly taking the door with her.

"Fuck!" I swore, tearing out of the backseat as fast as I possibly could. I reached out to grab her, but only managed to tear her shirt. She was too quick and too strong to hold.

Jane spun around in her seat, her face reflecting the 'oh shit' expressions of the others. They would have preferred Bella stick with our natural diet, but her convictions were so deeply engrained, she actually convinced us to follow her lead.

She was hauling towards the delightful scent, only a couple thousand yards away. Demetri, Heidi and myself were running as hard as we could, but not hard enough.

"Bella! Bella no!" I called after her, although I knew instantly nothing short of me tackling her would stop her now.

I saw up ahead where she would have to duck around a very large and very tall tree. I got an idea.

"Heidi, fell that tree and try to cut her off! I only need a split second to catch her!" I ordered over my shoulder.

Heidi crashed into the tree, spooking Bella enough to break her concentration for one too brief moment. Suddenly she spun on a dime, sunk into a crouch and let out a vicious growl. In less than a blink of an eye, too soon for me to stop if I wanted to, I collided with her, both of us sliding into a mass of thorny bushes.

I twisted her arms behind her back so she couldn't claw or grab me. It didn't hurt, I could never hurt her, it was just really annoying. Demetri and Heidi stopped in her path in case she tried to jump up and hunt the humans again.

"Oh damnit!" she breathed as she blinked, the bloodlust subsiding in her eyes.

She wrenched free of me, grabbed my hand and practically pulled me all the way to the truck. Once there, Bella shoved me inside, climbed in the middle, and pulled Demetri in beside her. Bella quickly tucked into my side, yanking Demetri over the both of us.

"Jane! Go! NOW!" she shrieked from underneath us. Without hesitation, Jane floored it away from the area with the engine roaring in effort.

"I can't believe you didn't continue hunting!" Demetri said completely astonished as he settled back into his proper seat.

"You mean you would prefer I killed them?" Bella snarled, fury building behind her musical voice.

"No, he means that you stopped and high-tailed it back here," I said, wearing an shocked grin.

"If I commit murder, for whatever reason, Lix, it's damn well going to be on MY terms. Not based on me being a little peckish," she seethed.

Bella was completely taken aback by the insinuation that killing in general was a mundane part of immortality. In truth, it was, but under the influence of Bella and Carlisle, and the example Emmett and Jasper had provided that feeding human-free could be done, we were slowly adapting. I would compare it to a pack-a-day smoker of twelve years quitting cold turkey in human terms. I had seen Gianna fight that battle and win, and how difficult it was. Killing was in our blood, so to speak, but we were learning to unleash it all only on those who threatened us.

"Bella. Bella! Listen, Bells!" She finally stopped fuming and looked up at me. "We think it's incredible you stopped because even as disciplined as we are, it took every ounce of willpower not to chase them ourselves. You hunted yesterday, and it's been well over a week for Heidi, Demetri and myself. I've never seen your equal, hellcat."

Bella relaxed her shoulders and calmed down, realizing her misunderstanding. I sighed in relief, and prayed we could make it to the coast without another mishap.

"Bella, let me see your passport. Yours too Felix," Demetri asked. She reached for her bag in the very back and I began pulling mine out of my inside pocket.

She silently fished around her new bag I had bought her. For some reason, the black, violet and lavender striped pattern reminded me of her, and how she commented on how everything seemed to take on a purple hue at night in the arctic.

I recalled the first night I took her out to see the stars.

"Wow! They're so beautiful!" Her gaze was fixed on the moonless night sky.

"Not as beautiful as you, but yes they are. See all the colors you can't see with human sight?"

"It looks like priceless gems spread out on black velvet," she said in awe.

I couldn't help but smile, thinking of that night and the events that followed on the ice shortly after. I was still a man after all.

She smacked my arm, knowing what that smile meant as I winked at her.

"What are you doing Dem?" she asked glancing at him digging an few things out of his own bag.

"Editing your passport for when we get to the border. I'm not familiar with the newer American one, so I needed a reference. For Felix's I just had to add a stamp. I already did everyone else's at the lodge." She still looked confused, probably wondering why vampires needed an up to date passport to begin with. "Granted, we don't really need them, but it's easier to fly under the radar with the proper documents," he explained.

She watched as he masterfully cropped a photo he had taken several weeks ago and finished putting the forged passport together.

"Regina Skylar?" she asked, commenting on the name on the passport. I laughed, getting a kick out of her being named queen.

"Well, it fits," Heidi said, laughing along with me.

"And just in time too. The border is just up ahead," Jane mentioned to everyone. "Chelsea, switch with me, I still look a bit young to be driving and we don't need problems now." Chelsea and Jane swapped seats in a fraction of a second, with no change in driving of the SUV.

"Damnit. They have dogs today, they're stinking up the whole area," Alec grumbled.

"Fucking hell. This isn't good," Demetri sneered. Bella looked up me as confused and frightened as a child staring into the darkness.

"Hellcat, you need to stop breathing, but take a deep breath and hold it in case you have to talk. It'll make easier when we have to stop. If we have to get out -"

"And we will, Felix," Heidi added.

"I'm going to keep my arm practically locked around and you should do the same. We can't have you attacking anyone here. The dogs are going to freak out about our presence, which could lead to getting searched and all that jazz," I explained, tightening my grip on her waist. "Dem, stay near her too. We are not going to have a repeat of the gas station, and I don't want to be flying solo if there's a problem."

"I was already planning on it. Too bad Alec can't kill her sense of smell."

"No kidding," Alec huffed.

We approached the barricade as inconspicuous as ever. Clothes were changed into something less antiquated, mainly jeans and long sleeved shirts with dark sunglasses in various styles. Our eyes had begun to change weeks ago, but still had a hint of crimson, enough to unnerve humans. An antsy and suspicious officer was not something we needed with a newborn in the car.

Expressions of boredom, tiredness and plain apathy settled on our faces as Chelsea rolled down the window. She was wearing a brilliant smile, hoping to talk our way through the checkpoint.

"Morning. Where are you coming from and going to?" the border patrolman, before looking up from his clipboard and stopping dead.

"And good morning to you. We're just taking a road trip around the North America," Chelsea replied turning the charm up to eleven.

"Passports miss?" he asked, peering into the backseats.

She handed him a stack of seven passports: her's British, Demetri's from Russia, Heidi's Dutch passport, Jane and Alec's German ones, Bella's American, and mine was from Italy. He set them on the small table by the small building a few yards away and proceeded to scrutinize every one.

"Mason, can you come here for a sec?" he chatted into his radio, unaware we could hear him.

"On my way," a gruff voice radioed back.

"Oh damn you. Go to hell, you pretentious git," Jane breathed and I nodded.

"What's the problem?" a man I assumed was Mason said, coming out of the building.

"A group of youngsters, college aged mainly" – we all let out small grins and chuckles at that. If he only knew I was born before the rise of Charlemagne and we were all, Bella excepted, at least old enough to be his great-parents. – "taking a road trip. They seem packed awfully light for a trip through the US and Canada. I don't know, there's just something off," he shrugged.

"Yeah, like the fact we're not human," I muttered rolling my eyes, followed by a few snorts.

"Well, get them out and search the car. I don't know why you called me Briggs," Mason huffed, walking back in through the door.

"Chelsea, step it up," I breathed. Bella was already shifting uncomfortably in my arms, fighting her instincts with everything she had.

She took off her sunglasses and unleashed the full power of our mesmerizing eyes on the poor man. He began to say something, but ended up babbling instead. He finally admitted defeat, handed our passports back and waved us through.

"Oh good God. That's the tensest encounter I've had with border patrol ever," Heidi said rolling her eyes.

"Well we didn't want to start a massacre in the middle there, so I understand. Considering that, I'm thinking we should just get a boat and sail down," I said, ignoring the very annoyed look from Demetri.

"Alright, Sir Genius, now that you've figure that out after we already bought the truck, where the hell are we going to get a boat from?" Demetri scoffed.

"You and Jane should be able to figure that one out. We commandeer one," I snapped back.

"Feeling piratey are we?" Alec chucked.

"Felix, I am not going to let you steal a boat," Bella chided.

"We'll give it back. I'll dock it in Rio and call it in. They'll have it back by the end of next week," I said shrugging, avoiding her glares. "Really, Bells, it's alright. And honestly I'm not even sure we physically can drive all the way."

"I think you're right. There's some storms coming into Miami, so we should be able to slip out unnoticed," Jane chimed in.

A moment later my phone started vibrating in my pocket. I briefly panicked wondering who on earth could be calling me. Bella snatched the phone out of my hand before I could even look at the number wearing a knowing smirk.

"Hey Alice!" Bella spoke into the phone. The Expedition was filled with oohs and ahhs. Of course it would be Alice, with her extraordinary gift of clairvoyance.

"Hey girl! I didn't tell you before, because it depended on too many factors so the vision was pretty hazy, but there's a boat at a marina in Galveston called Rosey Angel. It's ours, well actually Emmett's. Use it to get yourselves down to the island," Alice said, sounding fairly smug she had solved our little conundrum.

"Awesome! Thanks Alice! You saved us from stealing one."

"Anytime. Bye!"

The call was disconnected with an unceremonious snap of the phone.

"Well, I guess we're going to Galveston," I remarked with a grin.

Demetri and Heidi looked as relieved as I felt. None of us liked 'borrowing' various modes of transportation, especially because we didn't exactly need it. But sometimes it was a necessary evil. And with all our old Volturi perks cut off, I didn't want to be out in the open, running through the forest at a hundred miles an hour. Word would spread soon enough if it hadn't already, no doubt with vicious rumors about some horrid crime we committed.

"I really can't believe you were actually about to hijack a boat!" Bella admonished as we walked Emmett's small yacht under the cover of night, without a soul around.

"Bells, anything worth fighting for is worth fighting dirty for. So yes, I would have if it meant protecting you. I would do anything," I said as I winked at her and gave her a chaste kiss.

She just smiled and rolled her eyes. I briefly questioned if she truly understood the depth of my love for her. Then a realized the pure and simple truth of true love, immortal or not: you will always think you love your mate more than they can possibly imagine, because in the end, you never know exactly how far you will go to save them until you're faced with it. And I would rip myself to pieces and light the fire with a smile. My entire existence revolved around this beautiful, ocher-eyed vixen, who would take on the world alone for me. My world had been turned upside-down, torched and rebuild by nothing more than a single kiss from her perfect lips, which were currently crushing mine.

"Ahem! Felix? Are you two done or would you like us to wait while you take another honeymoon?" Demetri smirked from the deck. I had been so lost in Bella that I failed to notice the yacht ready to go.

"Heh, pardon me, sir captain," I mocked as I lifted Bella onto the deck. I held my wife's hand and took up my post at the helm, and plotting the coordinates into the GPS.

"I thought you can find your way anywhere Dem," Bella mentioned as an aside, as I was studying the GPS to set us on the best course.

"People, Hellcat," he grinned, taking up my habit of her nickname. "I can pinpoint them exactly once I've been within a couple miles of them to feel their mind. Otherwise it's just a generalization. And while our senses, especially smell, is vital to picking up someone's trail, it doesn't really work on the open ocean."

"So it's a good thing we're sailing down?" I did my best not to chuckle as Bella's curiosity about everything, but I couldn't hold back a crooked smile.

"Yeah," Demetri was giving her a similar grin to my own. "I've been thinking about it, and the direction Santiago and Afton approached was the same from that hunting trip we took a week before, when Heidi and I ran all the way to Vancouver. I think they might have just picked up our scents and followed."

"What gave you that idea, bro?" I asked, turning out of the marina and into the bay. Bella's question and Dem's answer had piqued my interests, as well as the others, on just how he had arrived at this slightly bonkers theory.

"You should know this, although it's easy to take it for granted with me around, but trackers are extraordinary rare. How many trackers have you come across in your lifetime, Felix?"

"Just you and Alistair," I replied, the point he was trying to make becoming clearer.

"I've met another, but he's dead," Bella spoke up. I had a hunch that's where her scar on her arm came from. She noticed me eying the subtle mark and gave me a curt nod, confirming it. I made a mental note to ask her about it later. My mental to-do list was getting awfully long.

"Huh," Demetri mused on it for a second. "Well that's only three we know of. One's ash, one's scared shitless of Aro and practically anyone in general, and then there's yours truly. I guess Alice could fall into that category in a very vague sense. Considering how many immortals we've met over the centuries we at least know of, I highly doubt the Ancients have found a new tracker, and without Eleazar it would be nearly impossible, not to mention impractical to locate one so quickly. Much less one powerful enough to find us with such scant details."

"Details?" Bella chimed in again.

"Both myself and Alistair have to know what we're looking for. With him, it's much more specific, he has to know exactly what he's looking for. And it has a limited range, maybe a few hundred miles up to a couple thousand. With me, I get the gist of where they are without coming across them, and, like I said, pinpoint them if I have. It's worldwide, so I can locate someone in China from here. Basically, my ability is a sports car compared to Alistair's tinker toy. But mine only works with people, not objects."

"It's another reason I suggested we go by car and boat. It's insanely difficult to follow scents of someone using them. So if they show up again, they have to have found a damn good tracker. I'm cocky enough to say I'm the best one on Earth, but I'm also good enough to back it up, and I'm not stupid enough to say there can't possibly be another one out there. And on top of all that, I'm cool enough –"

"God, Dem, enough with the 'enough's," Jane said, her face clearly showing her irritation and willingness to use her own ability to shut him up.

"Had enough, Jane?" Demetri laughed, practically daring her to do it so he would have a semi-valid excuse to toss her overboard.

"It would be fantastic if you would shut your chatterbox, you fuckpuppet," Jane snapped back. At that, we lost it, Bella clinging on to be for dear life she was laughing so hard. Even Jane's lips turned up a bit. She had developed the habit of throwing rather colorful insults instead of her power. I think it was her coping mechanism, but regardless of who she targeted, it was still pretty funny.

"Holy hell, Jane! No one could ever accuse your insults of being boring, sis!" Alec said between body-wracking laughs.

"You know, it still makes no sense to me how some of us pick up skills we never had an interest in during our previous life," Heidi commented, after listening to her husband and Alec go on and on about Rosalie's mechanical abilities and upgrades she had no doubt made to the vessel.

"Who knew you'd be so good at architecture and construction. You always struck me as more of the haughty 'How dare you suggest I get my nails dirty' type," I thought aloud. Heidi shot me a glare, but knew full well it was true, regardless of how much of an ass I sounded like by saying it.

"Yeah, surprising isn't it? Oh, Felix, the gardener of all the gods," Heidi replied in mock praise.

"Wait, what?" Bella asked, whipping her head around from the lower deck. Heidi explained how I could grow anything, even in conditions where it would baffle the best humans.

"It's not too surprising, really. I vaguely remember working in the fields, so I had some skill there anyway," I just sighed and shrugged.

"The only plant I've been able not to kill within a couple days is a cactus," Bella giggled.

"Gardening's only the half of it. You should see his flower arrangements," Demetri chuckled.

"Felix? Doing bouquets? I can't see it," Chelsea said, obviously trying to picture me in an apron behind the counter of a flower shop.

"Are you kidding? You know all those arrangements in the front office? Where the hell did you think they came from?" Jane gaped, assuming it was common knowledge.

"Jane," I groaned. "That's one of those little things which I try very hard to keep under wraps."

"Don't worry your ego Felix. I already knew. I just said I can't picture it," Chelsea smirked from her perch next to Bella.

"I've never given you any shit about it, have I?"Demetri questioned with a shrug and a crooked smile.

"Well, I still think you are the epitome of masculinity, Lix," Bella smiled up at me. I could never doubt her when she looked so innocent with her gorgeous heartfelt eyes.

"Well, I'm glad my reputation hasn't be totally destroyed," I snorted, cracking a grin of my own.

"It's like Aro and Caius, with all their eccentricities, they still scare the hell out of almost everyone," Alec said.

"But I'm not bloody fucking insane to boot!" I nearly yelled.

"I whole-heartedly dispute that!" Demetri said, pointing at Bella who smiled sheepishly and shrugged..

"I second that!" Jane chuckled.

"Third!" Chelsea agreed.

"I'm not some bloodthirsty bastard that happened to have an affinity for all things cooky!" I protested.

"True, but you're still a flower-arranging, glorified bodyguard," Demetri laughed. "At least you've got some skills to back it up."

"Alright, Mr. I-like-to-cook-when-I-think-no-one-is-watching!" I scoffed.

Demetri's face turned from a wide, laughing smile to horror to complete surprise. The expressions of the rest were running the gamut from disgust to pure shock to one knowing smirk.

"Oi! You swore never to tell anyone about that!" Demetri narrowed his eyes at his wife.

"Felix forced it out of me! He walked in after you put some cookies in the oven at Gi's place and demanded to know what the god-awful stench was!" Heidi explained, trying to defend herself.

"First off, Felix, what the living hell were you doing down in Gianna's quarters and why in the name of all that is holy didn't you just lie Heidi?" Demetri growled, more embarrassed than anything else.

Heidi's mouth opened and closed a few times, at a loss of how to counter her mate.

"WAIT! Who exactly is Gianna?" Bella glared at me as she marched to my side. I never took her for the jealous type.

"She's the receptionist in Volterra, and I wasn't intending to go to her apartment! The kitchen is right next to it, and when I noticed it wasn't of the source of the revolting smell, I got nosy," I said quickly, hoping she would drop it. I wasn't too keen on letting my princess know I would flirt with Gianna for shits and giggles, but to be fair, Gianna did do. "But cooking and baking Dem? Really!"

"That's like carrying a around a cat skeleton, calling it Fluffy and insisting it can do cartwheels!" Jane roared. She had moved from a look of horror to laughing so hard she couldn't sit up any longer. Demetri gave Jane a glare that honestly would have scared me witless, which only fueled the infectious laughter across the deck.

"Out of curiosity, what did you do with the food?" Alec asked, finally calming himself down.

"Left in it in the kitchen for Gi and the others," Demetri shrugged.

"So that's why Rob was always munching on something," Chelsea concluded.

"He kept wondering where all the food was coming from," Demetri nodded, smirking a little.

Bella looked vaguely interested on why the Volturi would have humans in their headquarters, but seemed to think better of it.

"Appearances, Bells," I whispered, kissing her on the cheek. I honestly didn't understand why Edward seemed to have so much trouble reading her, she was usually an open book now that I knew all her mannerisms.

As the waters changed from a deep, rich blue to a turquoise below us, we separated into different activities. Alec and Chelsea took over the helm, although they are far more interested in each other than where the yacht was going. Demetri and Jane settled into a game of bizarre and complex chess picked up from the Cullens, and Heidi was content to stare at the sky turning to twilight.

Bella and I went below deck to the living area as she combed over a large collection of books.

"Wow, Emmett doesn't come off as the reading sort," I said, quickly reading all the titles and making a mental note of the ones I hadn't read yet.

"He's not, really. They're here for Rosalie is my guess," she replied, pulling _Romeo and Juliet_ off the shelf.

"Interesting choice," I mused.

"It's a classic and among my favorites."

"It's sad and depressing," I complained, hating Bella feeling even the hint of those emotions. I knew that's what made us human, so to speak, but still.

"Yes, I agree. But it makes you really appreciate what you have. Before, I wasn't fond of it, never understanding how they couldn't just pick up and move on. But now that I have you, I can't fathom living without you. I don't want to," she said, matter-of-factly, only the barest sliver of love and need hanging on her words. She put more effort into stating that without feeling than she ever needed to, probably to show me it was a fact of life, as true as time and gravity, and nothing would change that.

"Bella," I whispered as I cupped her chin in my hand. "I will never leave you."

"I know, Felix, sweetheart," she smiled at me.

"It's so much more than that, princess. I would do anything, ANYTHING, to protect you. I'd throw Demetri to the dogs without a second thought if it might save your life." I heard him huff from the deck.

"Felix! That's a horrid thing to say!" she scolded, staring at me with complete disdain.

"Listen! He'd do the same damn thing! You would too, if faced with the choice! I'm not saying it would be easy to do, but you would." I sincerely hoped she would admit it herself so I wouldn't have to deal with a rather pissed off Hellcat the rest of the night.

"I see your point," she finally whispered. "But, what about Jane? She doesn't have a mate?"

"She'd probably do it for her brother, but it would be a close call between herself and Alec."

"Oi!" Jane called from above.

"I can't fault her for that though, it's just our nature. Alec would give up Jane for Chelsea," I shrugged as I heard Alec hit the floor and presumably Chelsea hit Jane upside the head.

"Jane! Watch it!" I thundered, irate Jane would use her ability on Alec, if only for a fraction of a second.

I heard an exasperated sigh, Jane swearing at Alec, followed by a sizable splash.

"What was that?" Bella looked around for the culprit.

"Alec throwing Jane overboard. Don't worry, she'll be back on the boat in a second," I said. Sure enough, half a second later, I heard Jane climbing back in, her wet clothes sloshing about. "Anyway, trust me, immortals are fiercer than the angriest, most determined mother protecting her child when it comes to our mates. And that doesn't even compare, honestly."

Bella sat on a large, overstuffed chair, but did not sink into it like I expected, but rather stayed stiff as a board, staring at nothing in particular. Her brow furrowed and she pursed her lips, just enough to distinguish between seriously thinking about something and being rather irked.

"What is it love?" I asked, squeezing in behind her. She knew I couldn't stand not knowing what caused her sudden shift, and this was one of the few times I could not even begin to guess what she was thinking of, there were more than a few likely possibilities.

"Felix, I don't want you sacrificing yourself or your family for me," she mumbled.

I was a bit blown away, but I really shouldn't have expected anything less from Bella. "You rather shoulder the blame for everyone else and take the fall, but I am not so noble or idealistic. There's no way in hell I will allow myself to lose you, I'd personally and joyfully turn the rest of my coven to ash if it meant not having to live without you. Selfish, very selfish, yes, but you come first, always."

"But, I can't –"

"Honey, you know where I stand on that. It's never going to change, Bells. You're more important to me than anyone and anything else. Honestly, I've already given up my life as I knew it for you, so it's not such a leap to take it one step further. I never want that to happen, and it would be the hardest thing I'll ever face, but I will if necessary. So don't argue."

"But –"

"Bella, really, if any of us were to have to make that choice, we'd all do the same as Felix said," Demetri conformed, taking a seat on the stairs to the upper deck. "And, also, Felix is the most headstrong person you'll ever meet."

"Look, Afton was my friend, and a good friend at that, and I didn't think twice. Their presence alone threatened your well being. The Volturi, and Caius specifically, is not the forgive and forget type. He would settle for nothing less than all of us dead, the Cullens included."

"Christ Felix! Have a little perspective! They didn't deserve to die just for showing up!" Bella raged.

"Actually they did." Jane strutted past Demetri to Bella. "Afton and Santiago were there to kill us all, and nothing would have stopped them. Frankly, it's like James." Bella's face morphed from pure rage to shock back to a mix of both. "Alice told me the whole story. Except they weren't just after Felix or Demetri or you, they wanted everyone. And before you say it, yes, we know that for certain. You forget we spent centuries with them and we know how they operate and how they think and where their loyalties lie."

"Bells, I will not take a life I don't have to, especially now. But I will protect you and this family. Remember then we were talking about Jane's power, and she tested it out on you?"

Bella shivered at the memory of the fiery assault she narrowly missed.

"Felix took me down in a heartbeat, even though he's my best friend and big brother. He didn't even want you to begin to feel it. Now up the stakes to killing you, and yes we would."

I raised an eyebrow towards Jane, a little more than shocked.

"Yes, we, Felix," Jane huffed. "I do give a damn about more than myself and my brother, jackass. All of us were so loyal to them, we would have died for the Volturi in a second, and why shouldn't this family be any different, if not more important to us."

"You know, you're right, Jane," I sighed, praying I never had to chose between Bella and the rest of my family. It would be a gut-wrenching decision, and I would never forgive myself for it, but ultimately I would still chose her.

"But I have no doubt if he had to, he would hold you above all else. We've seen what losing a mate does to our kind."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Marcus's mate was killed ages ago, and he's basically on auto-pilot, just going through the motions until someone puts him out of his misery."

"I'm surprised he hasn't asked Caius to kill him yet," I snorted.

"Actually he has, several times. Aro forbade it, and thanks to me, he has such a sense of loyalty to Aro, he won't try anything," Chelsea said, joining us.

"I'm willing to bet he's already dead by Caius, or picked a fight with someone else."

"Now that I'm not there, I wouldn't be surprised."

"But I still don't understand how –" Bella started. I decided I was going to end this conversation before someone would say something that someone else would take the wrong way, as if it's hadn't already happened.

"Bells, listen. It's complicated to say the least, and it's really a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation." Everyone nodded at Bella, effectively telling her not only would they not hold it against her if that day did come, but they'd do the same. "In all reality, if they killed one of us, they'd have to kill all of us."

"Yeah, we all mean too much to each other to just turn tail and run," Demetri grinned at Bella. She just sighed in response, knowing we could never turn on each other and all this was purely hypothetical.

The whole conversation was all but forgotten as we rounded the coast of Mexico and headed south, praying no one was on our trail.

**A/N: A couple things to elaborate on. Bella hunting the humans: If you think about it, she hasn't been around any since her change a few months ago, and honestly, Felix and company wouldn't have been on alert as much as the Cullens would have, so yes, she smelled them and her instincts took over. The whole chat between Bella, Felix and the other towards the end: whether you'll admit it or not, some people in this world you would do anything for would be sacrificed in a heartbeat if it meant saving someone else you're close to. If you don't believe me, ask a mother if she would toss her husband into a fire for her children. She would. In my mind, the relationship between mates in the vampire world is just as strong as the parent/child bond in the human world. You can bet your ass if someone killed my boys, I would stop at nothing until they were dead or die trying, rule of law be damned.**


	10. The Past, Present and Future

**A/N: So I'm back, trying to make up for going so long without an update. Things are starting to get complicated, but did you really expect anything different from a group of ex-Volturi guards? ;)**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**The Past, Present, and Future**_

The island was much more serene and peaceful than I had imagined. It was pretty clear why Esme loved it so much. Still, I couldn't bring myself to relax like I normally would.

"Hey Felix! You should go for a swim! It's hilarious when the dolphins scatter!" Demetri chuckled, effectively soaking the carpet from not toweling off.

"Not now, Dem."

"Still worried?" he sighed.

"I'd be stupid not to be. No doubt word will have gotten back to the Volturi by now, if they haven't guessed, about our little run in."

"Well, they're not stupid enough or rash enough to try that again."

"Caius is," Jane muttered, setting herself down at the table next to me.

"Good point. But I seriously doubt Aro will let him step out of line again," Alec called from the beach. The one thing I hated about vampire hearing is it was nearly impossible to have a totally private conversation on this island. We tried to ignore the more sensitive chats, but none of us, save Bella, was above chiming in if we thought we had a valid reason.

"I'm not so sure, honestly. Aro's desperate, and desperate men do stupid things. God, I wish Bella would stop brooding already." Demetri stared at the wall, where he could hear Bella pacing in the bedroom on the other side.

"That girl is complicated. But she's not brooding, she's worried." I chuckled at my wife, knowing she would come to me in her own time.

"Well, we all are. We'll probably have half the immortal world out of our heads by the end of the year." Jane wasn't the paranoid type, but she was pessimistic beyond the rest.

"It's not that, she thinks it's her fault," I sighed.

"I can hear you," Bella said from the other side of the wall, which Demetri promptly ignored.

"WHAT? Of course it's not! She's an innocent bystander here. If any single person is to blame, and I'm not saying they are, it's you, brother."

"I know." It had been weighing on me that I was to blame for all this. I couldn't complain though. I had Bella and the few people in this world I was close to with me. If she was going to stew, I wasn't going to let her do it alone. I slowly rose from my seat and turned to the hallway. "I could do without the reminders though."

"Felix, the Volturi is on our ass. But it's nothing to worry about." Demetri scoffed.

"Shut. Up." I snapped back, smacking him on the back of the head. The gesture made a rather satisfying noise, similar to two rocks being slammed together.

Bella and I found ourselves tangled up high in the forest canopy later that night, after a hunting trip on the mainland. I had to say, I preferred the huge jungle cats to polar bear, but humans were still at the top of the list regardless. I was trying very hard not to dwell on that.

"Felix?"

"Yes, love?" I whispered back, drawing little hearts on her back as she rested across my bare chest. My shirt was in rags somewhere miles from here, thanks to Bella.

"How did you get here?" She sounded so meek and timid, I couldn't help but smile.

Whether she took my momentary silence as a refusal to talk about my human life or a misunderstanding, I didn't know, but she starting backpedaling after a few seconds.

"Sorry, I'm just curious, but I understand if you-"

I let out a chuckle that turned into a full blown laughter when she lifted her head to look at me.

"Babe, I don't mind," I said, smoothing the hair around her face. "I only vaguely remember parts, like my last name, and I was an heir to a rather wealthy farming family. A good portion of it I learned later, from Marcus, before he went all mopey and apathetic."

"Marcus? Why is he like that?"

"Do you want my story or his?" I chuckled.

"Sorry, I'll stop interrupting."

"Anyway, he's my uncle," I continued.

"Wait! I thought all of them were over three thousand years old? But you're only fourteen hundred," she puzzled.

"He's my uncle twenty or so generations back. He didn't want to lose touch with his humanity, so he kept tabs on his family, up until about a thousand years ago. He's the one that found and turned me."

"So he knows your human life?"

"Sort of. It's hard to explain, all my human memories are fuzzy at best, as you know. But after talking with Marcus at length, I remember some things and the puzzle pieces just fit. I guess it's like when you know a fact or something, but can't remember where you know it from, but it's so engrained in your mind, you just know it's true."

"Like how I know you're perfect?" Bella grinned.

"Far from it, honey. But I see what you mean. I could say the same about you," I smiled at her, still rubbing the flawless skin of her back. "I know my father's lord owned most of the land right outside what is now Milan. All my father had to do was pay the lord a certain amount in crops per year, and the rest he could do with as he pleased. Well, through that system, my grandfather actually became fairly rich, and my father just added to the fortune. He passed on when I was around seventeen, according to Marcus. Marcus kept better track of time than the human masses did back then."

"You don't look sixteen, not by a long shot, Lix," Bella chimed in, not even letting me get to half way through the explanation, inciting a grin from me.

"I'm not, Bells," I replied, catching myself marveling at her beauty once again. She didn't look like the eighteen year old girl I had found months ago. She was, beyond a shadow of a doubt a woman, still young, but she had a aura about her that seem so mature and wise beyond her years. But then again, I was biased.

"Then how old were you?"

"Twenty-three. After my father died, being the oldest, I took over the farming, caring for my younger brothers and sisters. My mother had died years before, and I honestly don't remember anything about her. I settled into the new role as the head of the family pretty easily. Then Marcus saw me hauling something or other that was insanely heavy, he never did tell me what it was, and knew I'd be incredibly strong, even for an immortal. He watched me for a while, and talked to Aro about it after I killed a monster wolf with my bare hands. It was about to attack my baby sister, so of course I was having none of that. They waited almost another year, until my other sister married, and her husband could take care of the family. And here I am."

"Shouldn't you have had a family of your own by that point?"

"I had a fiance', but that all fell apart, obviously."

"You were engaged?" Her voice went through two octaves before she finished.

"Yes, but I think she just wanted to marry up. I don't even remember her name."

We settled into silence as she mulled over my history, and she seemed caught on the fact I was engaged once. I couldn't blame her, after all. She was with Edward before me.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked sheepishly.

"No, you can't," I answered. Her face turning into a perfect, unsaid 'sorry, forget I mentioned it'. Sometimes, she couldn't pick up on sarcasm. I had to chuckle at her not understanding I would do anything, all she had to do was ask. "Of course you can, hellcat."

"But you said –"

"I was joking Bella. You say 'jump' and I'll ask 'how high?' There's not anything I would refuse you. I'd gladly launch myself into space if it would make you happy," I laughed.

"Well, don't go doing that. Why aren't you upset about leaving your fiance' behind?"

"I was at first. But, now that I've looked at it in retrospect, I'm really not. For one, as I said, I think now she was just marrying up. For two, I was a...difficult newborn. With my strength, it could take several guards to contain me when I got riled up. A few still haven't forgiven me for tearing their limbs off, literally. And finally, she wasn't really my type. You are."

"Not your type?" she asked.

"Yeah. She was vindictive, mean, and just about as cold as you can get. I'm not unnecessarily cruel, but I'll approach the line if I must. She would leap over it with vigor."

"I don't think you could ever be cruel," she said, ignoring my comparison.

"I can be, especially to people, human and immortal alike, that I don't give a crap about. I know it seems I'm a very easy to get along with person because of this coven and the Cullens. But, really, I've got a bit of an attitude problem, and I'm pretty scary to others because I'm so big. I guess over the years I've become rather jaded, and anti-social. Honestly, the only people I'm even on more than a first-name basis, you've met, except the Volturi."

"So that gives you the right to be harsh?" she snapped, not liking my devil may care attitude towards this.

"No! It's just easier not to make friends. Most of the time, in the Volturi, we didn't come across someone we didn't kill or who didn't join."

"How many people have you killed Felix?" She was dead serious, and none too happy.

"Enough. But understand, those people always fell in one of three categories: food, people trying to kill me and mine, or pathetic scum who committed the worst crimes of our world."

"Jane told me you slaughtered her whole village. What category did they fall in?"

"People trying to kill me and mine. They were going to burn two innocent kids at the stake because they were a little weird! If you're not outraged by that alone, you're more cruel than I'll ever be."

"She didn't tell me that part," Bella frowned.

"Look, Bells, everyone I've ever given a damn about is either dead or with me. I've killed a lot, and I mean a LOT of people, but never out of spite or just because. Afton and Santiago would have kept coming back for more and the Ancients will keep raining down hell until one of us is dead, and they're very, very good at raining down hell. Fortunately, so am I."

"Felix," she finally spoke after a long silence, "I'm scared."

"Isabella Marie Swan Skylar," I said cupping her face between my hands and forcing her to look at me, "I will not let anybody past me to you. Understand?"

"It's not me I'm scared for," she whispered, eliciting a sigh from me.

Of course, she wouldn't be worried about herself. She was really the most selfless vampire I'd ever met.

"We've already discussed this, love. Quite frankly, not even the Volturi would dare to take us all head on, and between your shield, Jane and Alec, Chels keeping us together, Demetri tracking everyone we know and Alice keeping tabs on us, we are unstoppable."

"Emmett told me one of those vampires nearly killed you though!"

"Bells, that's a bit overstated. Yes, it was three on eight. I can handle those odds easily, but I still can be buried in bodies if they bring enough fighters. Plus, Emmett and Dem were fighting two at once. I'm not invincible, but it'll take a lot more than that to bring me down."

"But what if you got hurt or something Felix?"

"I've only been hurt once, and Demetri did that. See?" I answered, leaning up and over to show her the one scar on my left shoulder.

"He attacked you?" she gasped.

"Yeah, it wasn't on purpose, but wasn't an accident either. Somewhere between the two. I already told you this. Heidi got on my bad side, I made a snide remark about her and Demetri lunged at me. Seriously, Bells, you don't need to worry. If I've survived this long as often as I've fought, I highly doubt anything would stop me."

Bella pursed her lips slightly, placed a feather-light kiss on the old scar and snuggled closer into my chest.

I had to admit, if I died right there, I would die happy. Nothing could ruin my mood with my precious Bella in my arms, a hundred feet in the canopy, listening to the pitter patter of rain around us. We laid there for hours, just enjoying each other, whispering sweet nothings and laughing rather obnoxiously at a jungle cat that failed to notice us and fell off the tree to a lower level.

"Felix, do you want to hunt again before we go back?" Bella smiled, rising to a sitting position on the thick branch.

"I'm fine, but you're welcome to," I beamed back, chuckling as she gracefully hopped down and across the trees, following the scent of the jaguar. She was a natural, a single-minded killing machine when she was on the prowl. I loved just watching her hunt and the fluidity of her movements, it was like watching a prima ballerina dance across the stage.

I followed quickly behind her, partly to guard her against any possible humans, but mostly because I couldn't bear to be apart from her for any reason. I had come to realize over the past few weeks that time wasn't always on our side.

"What?" Bella asked, as she let the drained cat fall to the forest floor.

"Nothing," I smiled and shook my head.

"Don't give me that, I know you better than you think," she rolled her eyes. In a fraction of a second, she took my hand and began running towards the ocean, miles from us.

Easily keeping in step with her, while expertly ducking and dodging between the trees, it took me a minute to take my eyes off her long enough to collect my thoughts to answer her. "I just don't want to be away from you, I don't even want to not be touching you somehow."

"Thinking time is short?" she smirked at me.

"Exactly," I sighed. "I've just never had this much to weighing on me. And it's made me realize every moment I have with you is a moment I want to savor."

"Felix, I'm right here, love. I'm not going anywhere."

"Bells, do not underestimate the Volturi. Just because we've managed to stay ahead of them thus far doesn't mean they won't catch up eventually. Forever is a long time to avoid someone." I didn't want to scare her or worry her more, but she needed to understand the gravity of the situation.

"Oh, I'm not, babe. I realize all that perfectly, but what's giving me peace of mind is that I've never been so happy in my life, and every second I get with you is one more thing that's throwing the universe and me out of balance, so it's not reasonable to complain when it comes to an end." She shrugged all the strain I had felt and that she had been pacing over off so easily, it briefly made me question her sanity.

"Hellcat, what changed? You were all upset about it yesterday."

"I realized you were right," she smiled.

The moment she said that, the huge burden I'd been under lifted, and I conceded to just be happy, beyond happy, with every passing second I had with my wife. Fourteen centuries was an awful long time to wait for someone, and I couldn't be pissed off at the powers that be if it all end too soon. I was perfectly happy, and ninety-nine percent of all the greatest romances in history had to make do with acceptable happiness.

"I finally live up to my name," I snorted a little grin. Bella yanked me to a stop, cocking an eyebrow. "Do I need to explain?"

"If you please," she said, her eyebrow still not relaxing, but a smile creeping across her face.

"'Felix' means 'lucky'," I grinned.

"Oh," she responded sheepishly, but smiling all the same.

I pulled her into my arms, and kissed her, quite literally taking her breath away, needed or not. It without a doubt ranked in top three passionate kisses of all time. I assumed we had also taken the rest of top ten slots. Lightning fast, I whipped my arm under her legs, scooping her up, and continuing that single kiss as I waded into the ocean.

I didn't let go of Bella until we were over a mile into the ocean, slowly walking along the seafloor. The reef was lit up by the brilliant full moon, but with rather few fish to see. This was one of those things a human couldn't possibly imagine the beauty of, thanks to our stellar eyesight and no need to breath. We were both content to lay on the sea floor, watching terrified schools of fish dart past overhead. We finally broke the surface near dawn, giggling like school children as we walked up the small beach to the house.

We had decided to nix all communication with the Cullens, for fear that the Volturi would track us down through the more high-tech channels. Plus, we knew Alice would see potential problems, and Demetri was on high alert for anyone we knew.

Jane and Chelsea wanted to stay put, but at the two month mark, all the guys started getting itchy feet. With Demetri and my know-how of military tactics, we knew it was a bad idea to stay in one place for too long, without the numbers or fortifications to thwart our former masters. In all honestly, no where would be fortified enough against even a small group of vampires. The best we could hope for was a clear view of the surrounding area, in order to see any threat and haul ass if need be. None of us wanted to be running for the next decade, but it might be the only option.

Eventually, after debating for over twelve hours, finally the 'what now?' question had to be answered.

"What about New Zealand?" Heidi smiled, thinking of the location of another of her prized vacation homes.

"We can't go anywhere we're known for," Demetri countered, placing a comforting hand on his wife. "That includes homes, favorite vacation spots, and so on."

"Dem's right. That really is a bad idea," I said.

"I don't want to be on the lam for the next hundred years," Jane snorted from the threshold.

"Me neither," Bella nodded.

"Jane, by habit, we're already on the lam. 'Keep the secret,' remember?" Alec rolled his eyes.

"Well, yeah, but not out of necessity, like this with the Volturi." Chelsea jumped in, hoping to avoid a fight. Tensions were already running abnormally high.

"Alright," I said, thinking of trying to keep us all together and safe. "I see us having a couple of more defined options than stay put and get slaughtered or cut and run."

"Oh really? And is running back to Caius one of them? Because from where I stand, that's our only options!" Jane snapped, with the hint of a smile of her lips.

"Like hell! Now shut your mouth and listen," I growled back. I wasn't one to pull rank on anyone, but this wasn't a matter of feather pillow verses fluffy bunnies. I knew that Jane would settle down after she realized the stupidity of her question. She might be young and impulsive, but she was wise beyond her years once she thought things through.

Less than a heartbeat later, I hit my knees with my eyes shifting of Jane to my wife, feeling the agony of her assault for the first time in ages. Nearly in the same instant, Bella lunged across the room.

The pain stopped as Bella hit Jane with a backhanded right fist, followed closely by a left hook, fracturing Jane's face and causing a crack to run up Bella's right arm. The little blonde was completely taken off guard.

As fast as we could move, Demetri and I grabbed Bella, holding her back from ripping Jane's head off.

Heidi finally managed to subdue Jane after her attack zeroed in on Alec and Chelsea who had already failed to stop her.

"Both of you STOP!" I yelled.

"She was hurting you Felix!" Bella shouted in return. I was a bit taken aback by her intense, but brief hostility toward me, not that I could blame her. She was trying to protect me, and it's one of our deepest rooted natures. I moved in between the fighting women, allowing Chelsea to hold Bella instead.

"Bells, you know I love you to pieces, but hush," I said more sternly than I meant to, holding up a warning finger. "You too Jane!"

"You bastard!" Jane screech, as the corner of her lips turned up.

Alec tried to intervene, but his ability was too slow to block Jane. At that moment, I realized Bella must have been shielding me out of instinct. My suspicions were confirmed when Jane let out an outraged snarl.

"Jane, I'm warning you, or so help me God, I'll tear off you arms and throw them in the ocean!" Demetri yelled over the din of growls from Bella and Jane.

"Jane, there is a leader here for a reason," I said a bit more calmly, although keeping my cool wasn't always my best attribute. "Everyone agreed, and this is one of –"

"You'll always put her before us! She's your main priority!"

"YOU HAD A CHOICE TO LEAVE VOLTERRA!" I bellowed, seriously sick of her attitude. "Now calm the fuck down, or you can say goodbye to this coven!" I sighed, understanding the truth in her accusation, but knowing the others understood.

"Jane, we all put our mates before anyone else. I can't say I wouldn't have bolted by now if it wasn't for Chels," Alec said, more placidly and matter-of-factly than I ever could of managed.

"Alec?" Demetri questioned.

"Sorry man, but don't tell me it hasn't crossed your mind," Alec said apologetically.

"Does anyone else feel this way?" I said. The question hung in the air like smoke, and I really didn't know if I wanted a truthful answer that would change the dynamics of our group, or a lie that would preserve the status quo.

After only a couple seconds, but an uncomfortable silence for our kind, I had to speak up. "This family falling apart is the last thing I want, really. But if we're about to go ballistic on each other..."

"We should split up, at least for a bit. It puts us more at risk of losing a fight, but a better chance of them not being able to find us in the first place. Rumors spread in our world like wildfire and seven of us together can't hope to avoid outside problems as well as issues amongst ourselves for much longer without Chels stepping in."

Demetri was right. He always was. And worst of all, we all knew it.

**A/N: So, what happens to our bad-ass vamps now? Stay Tuned...**

**Honestly, it was getting a bit hectic writing for seven people who are almost always together, and I wanted a bit to focus on stuff between Bella and Felix as they're both trying to adjust to a new lifestyle.**

**By the way, did anyone see the Breaking Dawn preview on the MTV Movie Awards? I can't lie, it made me giddy. Just like review make me giddy. ;)**


	11. Divide and Conquer and Divide Again

**A/N: Hey guys, so things are getting dicey for our favorite vamps.**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**Divide and Conquer and Divide Again**_

Within a few moments, everything I had fought so hard to keep together the past half a year fell apart. This was it, and we were going our separate ways. I guess I knew all along having such a large coven of vampires following one person's morals and being fugitives from the Volturi was not enough to hold us together forever. The others still craved human blood. I did too, but my commitment to Bella was enough to override that urge, but even then just barely. That caused short tempers and an automatic defensiveness among of us and I never expected Jane to cope well. They had been uprooted from all they knew.

In the end, only our loyalty to our mates could withstand the test of time for an extended period. And if I was completely honest with myself, I was angry, furious, that our survival instincts could be stronger than that sense of family I wanted so badly. I wanted to hate them all for that, and hate the Cullens for already succeeding for years when we didn't make it a full year, but I couldn't bring myself to.

"Fine," I said, rather pointedly, under my breath. I took Bella's hand and led her into the white room we were using. "Pack whatever you want, but we're gone as soon as everyone else is ready to leave, if they wish."

Within a minute, she had a few shirts, jeans, the black dress I loved, a hat, gloves and a jacket in the bag I bought her. She also managed to fit a couple shirts and pants for me although I didn't ask her to. She knew I would regret it later when I was done being pissed off at the world, and she was right. There a simple pleasure in a fresh change of clothes.

As we were taking the small speedboat we borrowed from Carlisle to the mainland, Demetri brought up a good point, ever the voice of reason, and got four satellite phones. He gave each couple one, along with Jane. Regardless of the high tensions, we all agreed to keep them on and with us, just in case we needed in regroup quickly and to keep in touch.

"So what do we do now?" Bella sighed as we aimlessly walked the streets of Rio.

"I'm sorry Bells, but I have no idea," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I'm never this out of it."

"You're upset." It wasn't a question, just an honest-to-God statement.

"Really, hon, you have no idea," I whispered, stopping on the bridge we found ourselves on, staring out into nowhere. "Half of them I changed myself, and I've been with them all since they were created. None of us have ever been so truly isolated from everything, and I don't know how to deal."

"Felix," she whispered, obviously guilty because I was hurt. "I'm sorry, if I wouldn't have attacked Jane –"

"Hellcat, stop. You didn't do anything, you were only following your instincts to protect me, and no one, not even Jane, could fault you for that."

"I don't know what happened. I saw all that pain on your face and I just snapped," she said, ignoring me.

"Bells, remember when Jane tried it out on you and I tackled her? That wasn't even in a stressful situation, and I did the same thing. I'm angry because I've never been without any direction. So far, I was at least one step ahead of the game. Now, I don't even know what the next step is."

"Lix, maybe you should let someone else take the lead for a while," she suggested, wrapping her slender arms around my waist.

"Like Jane?" I scoffed, still seething about her unleashing on me.

"No, smart-ass. Me." As selfish as it was, I never seriously thought about Bella making the decisions, my only concern was to protect her and I didn't give her enough credit sometimes. She was grown woman who could hold her own.

"You're right. Sorry I've been a bit overbearing lately and to be honest, I'm probably going to be a pain in the ass for a few days."

"Demetri?" she asked. I was surprisingly pleased she didn't need more than one word for me to understand what she was getting at. We really were a perfect match, and I would gladly have taken the whole split in stride if I would could control my emotions.

"Nah, Dem and I are fine."

"Jane?"

"Yeah, she was like my little sister," I said.

"I'm so sorry, Felix," Bella mumbled.

"Babe, Jane won't be acting like a little bitch forever. She'll cool down eventually, but I doubt we'll have quite the same relationship."

I put my arm around her shoulder and continued walking, not caring where we ended up as long as we were together.

"Felix, I –"

"Drop it, Bells. I'm seriously alright with not being on the best of terms with Jane. She can be petty and vengeful at the best of times. I think it's about time she grew up a little, and maybe running around with Alec and Chelsea will do that." I had to smile at her, partly genuine, partly a cover for the bitterness I felt. "Sorry I didn't mean to be so short with you."

"It's alright, sweetheart," she smiled back.

Bella thought it would be nice to hit the States again. We ran our way through the western hemisphere, ending up in Miami.

I accidentally moved too fast when Bella tossed a shirt at me at the mall. I glanced around quickly, praying no one saw my inhuman speed.

"I like that one," my wife grinned.

I rolled my eyes and chuckled as I read the writing on the women's black t-shirt: Protected By Vampires. "A vampire is more like it."

"There's one for you," she laughed, tossing me another piece of clothing to add to the growing mound. This one read 'super villain'. I had to admit I did love it.

"I think we have enough," I smirked as we went to checkout.

Bella thought we should try to blend in a bit more. She thought we could hide easier in the human world, and I tended to agree. Most vampires in cities didn't want a fight and stay out of each others way, but we also couldn't stay too long after we ran across another. I knew how fast word spread and our whereabouts would cross the path of someone who shouldn't know within a month.

I was really impressed with her self-control around humans. We could live a halfway normal life now as long as there was wildlife nearby.

Taking a note from the Cullens, we finally settled on moving to east Texas in a little three bedroom house that the owner was all too happy to sell us. I honestly think Bella and I unnerved him enough to take the cash and turn a blind eye to the fact I just handed him a one hundred and sixty thousand dollar check. Surprisingly, the funds weren't hard to come by, thanks to Alice and Carlisle setting up a sizable bank account for us. Money really was no object for them.

The neighborhood was quiet and peaceful, one of those that the neighbors didn't bother you, but people left their doors unlocked. I wasn't too happy about not having a secluded place, but this town was perfect place to lay low for a while. It was just big enough to not be noticed, but small enough to know if anyone was looking for us, especially without seven of us. Bella and I were just the weird couple that moved because we wanted to get away from city life.

It was easy enough to stay out of the sun, the nights were getting longer and it was an unseasonably rainy year. In the dead of night, Bella and I moved a full living room, dining room and master bedroom sets into their places by ourselves, mainly to keep up appearances.

I started snickering the second night, thinking about what the neighbors would think if they saw Bella carrying the massive, heavy king-size bed frame by herself. I was close behind, toting the mattresses, one in each hand. She seemed to be thinking the same thing and cracked up herself. It was refreshing to find ourselves laying in the middle of the living room laughing at something so trivial.

"If anyone saw that, we'll definitely be the talk of the town!" Bella laughed.

"Well, I know the neighborhood is already talking about us," I grinned. "Apparently they think we should get some sun."

"Is that it?"

"The kid next door was telling a friend that you've got to be a supermodel or something. Sounds like he's planning to make a move on you." I couldn't help but be smug knowing he had no chance at all. I was rather thankful I couldn't read minds, since I probably would have killed him by now.

"Oh whatever!"

"Seriously, Bells. You were beautiful before, but now, there aren't words to describe you. Stunning, gorgeous, and breathtaking is a good start though."

"I could say the same about you," she smirked, always trying to divert attention away from herself.

"Look, I know you're not used to being noticed and gawked at, but get used to it. Especially here, our paleness and looks don't blend in too well, but aren't enough to raise more than a couple eyebrows."

"Only a couple of eyebrows?"

"More or less. People out here tend to ignore anything that doesn't fit. Either that or declare us satanist, but I couldn't care less regardless. We'll only be here a few years at most, and probably less given our current situation."

Bella's face turned pensive and once again, I was reminded how my actions had uprooted everyone I cared about.

"Bells, I'm sorry. I know how you feel about not staying put for an extended amount of time. I really do understand better than you think, remember I was in one place for over a millennium. So it seems like we're moving every other day to me. I promise, just let this Volturi issue get resolved and we'll settle down anywhere you want." I sighed. I hated her being upset about anything, and much more so because I was to blame.

"It's not your fault, babe. I'm thrilled to not been living out of a bag," she smiled.

I heard the tell-tale shifting of footsteps and quickly told Bella humans were coming, in case she needed to leave or hold her breath.

"Why the hell are they here? And why didn't I hear them?" she asked, too fast for a human to understand.

"No idea, they're not talking so you're guess is as good as mine," I chuckled. As much as she might like to think I understood the ins and outs of human thought, she had a better grip in that area than I did. "And you did hear them, you just didn't recognize the sound. I've been around a lot longer and tend to be more alert than most."

"Why?" Bella questioned as the humans had barely taken a step since I warned Bella.

"Mostly because of my fighting reflexes, but I hunted humans for centuries, so I'm well acquainted with the slightest human movement." I snickered at the glare she gave me at the mention of my old diet. I still hadn't softened to the point she would have liked me to about my previous food source, but I would never go back and she knew it. I guessed the compassion was something that strengthened over time, instead of the slight pangs of guilt I got here and there. I was sure it would catch up to me at some point, and it would all come crashing down after I didn't have to worry about the Ancients wanting me, and Bella by extension, dead.

A minute passed, with Bella fluttering about, quickly setting up the living room to look a little less like we had just moved two tons of furniture the previous night. She also changed into ripped jeans and a smoking hot blue tank top and brown boots. I threw on my 'Super Villain' shirt with a pair of khaki cargos and sneakers so we wouldn't come off as the gothy anti-social types. The humans natural reactions would take care of that.

"If you're trying to not draw attention to ourselves, I'm not entirely you should be wearing that outfit," I smirked. She raised an eyebrow, daring me to explain myself. "I'm having a difficult time not jumping you and ripping it all off." I winked at her, and grinned my perfect devilish, bad-boy grin.

"You know you drive me crazy when you wink at me," she laughed. "Stop, this is the wrong time for a round of rough and tumble right now." She smacked my arm, letting out a musically peal of laughter.

Bella wisely waited a few seconds before she opened the door. I flipped on the TV to a hockey game and settled comfortably onto the floor.

"Yes?" Bella asked, realizing the group at our door was obviously shellshocked at the sight of my wife.

"Wow," I heard the high school kid from next door breathe, nearly inaudible to the others.

At that point, I decided it would probably be wise to go help Bella out.

"Hi! I'm Anna, and I'm just so glad to meet you!" The little woman couldn't be more than twenty-seven and was your typical small-town girl, complete with a thick Texan accent.

I had to fight to hide my smile as she shivered slightly after shaking Bella's hand. Bella glanced at me with an 'oh god, please help me' brewing in her ocher eyes. She was holding her breath, although it wasn't really necessary now. I figured it was probably more out of habit than anything else.

I quickly ran through my head all the ways to play this: what would be easiest to get them out of here, what would make them stay and how to sculpt this encounter so they would be satisfied and leave us be. Unfortunately, they wouldn't ditch the fabled Southern hostility even in the face of vampires, so it was not as simple as it would be elsewhere, say New York City or even Dallas for instance.

"Hey, I'm Felix and this is my wife, Bella," I said politely, but with a very pointed look towards the men ogling her.

"Hello," Bella said, trying to sound upbeat and not annoyed.

"This is my brother, Chris," the thirty-something man motioned to the boy, "That's Henry there, and I'm Stephen. We...well, we saw ya'll moving in and figured we'd come help. You know, get to know the new neighbors and such."

"We all live there, there and there," – she pointed to two houses across the street and the smaller house next door – "and I thought it would be nice for the boys to help you move in the big stuff, while, Bella and I stocked the kitchen. You know how important it is to keep these men fed!"

"I think we're good, but thank you though," I replied, smirking at Bella, sharing in the private joke of what their reaction would be if we did eat around them.

"Oh, nonsense! Look, you don't even have your entertainment center put together!" Henry chimed in. The rather tall but lanky man squeezed past me into the living room, followed shortly by the others.

Bella gave me an exasperated sigh. "What happened to sending them on their merry way?" she griped too low and fast for mortals.

"Sorry, I didn't expect them to be so forceful and we don't want to make waves, unless you want to deal with nosy neighbors," I answered in the same tone.

"They're already being nosy!"

"Bells, if they see there's nothing but a couple that prefer to keep to themselves, it'll all blow over in the next day or two," I sighed.

The entire secret conversation between Bella and I lasted less than a quarter of a second.

"Actually, we were going to go out for dinner in a few hours," Bella smiled. Only I could tell her apologetic tone was completely fake.

"Oh, well it looks like you haven't even gone grocery shopping yet!" The little woman was way too perky to fit my current mood, and it was grating on me.

The next hour was longer than I would have imagined. We accepted their help with the entertainment center, although they were a bit shocked I didn't intend it for the living room, but for the sunroom the next room over. I had a brand new sixty inch plasma screen to mount over the mantle. Thankfully, with my six foot eight frame, it didn't look odd for me to lift the TV by myself with only Chris and Stephen to steady it, although I didn't need them for that either.

Bella was on the verge of insanity with Anne talking nearly nonstop and basically begging my hellcat for her beauty tips while also pushing her to get a tan. Her breaking point hit when the neighbor lady tried to pull Bella outside to lounge in the sun. I was pretty frantic for a second, as Anne noticed the unnatural feel of a vampire's skin. She quickly withdrew her hand, shaking off the strange feeling, and settled for undressing me with her eyes, which actually unnerved me more than if Bella just freaked her out with her diamond skin in the daylight.

If I was worried before about her reaction to grabbing Bella's arm, it was nothing compared to when a low growl emanated from Bella at Anne eying me. Anne jumped back a clutched her chest, but obviously unsure of why she did. Thankfully, her mind was ignoring the fact that Bella just looked more like her true nature than she meant to show. Jealously in our kind tends to bring that out. I did get a good smirk and a hearty internal laugh about it though.

The atmosphere in the room steadily grew more and more uncomfortable until the humans finally couldn't stand it and said their goodbyes.

"Good God, I thought they'd never leave!" I said as I slumped on the couch.

"I didn't mean to growl at her like that," Bella smiled sheepishly. "That was the last thing we needed if we wanted to fly under the radar."

"Nah, don't worry about it babe. Plus, it was pretty funny," I laughed.

"Well, let's go hunting. I need to blow off some steam I think," she said, taking my hand and leading me through the backyard and up and over the fence to the woods beyond.

Daybreak was hardly noticeable with the dark storm clouds that rolled in overnight. It started to pour with Bella and I still cuddling on the hammock in the backyard. A wonderful thing about being a vampire was the weather never bothered us.

"I find this strangely romantic," Bella whispered, snuggling closer into my side.

"Well, if the wind doesn't throw us off this hammock, I'd have to agree," I smiled at her.

"Even then, good things tend to happen when we end up on the ground together." Her grin was pure vixen.

"That's my Hellcat," I laughed, pulling her onto my chest, kissing her with a fierceness the thunderclouds around us could never hope to match.

The hammock was officially gone, but thanks to Bella and I, not the storm.

"Damnit," I sighed. Laying on the ground, I kicked my legs over my head, landing on my feet. It was a bit too showy of a way to get up, but it was fun nonetheless.

"What?" Bella asked, as I helped her to her feet as well.

"We need to run some errands, before it gets too late in the day. The neighborhood's got to think we're half-way normal," I winked at her.

"Why don't we just go tonight?" Bella groaned. "The store will –"

I pulled my soaked shirt over my head and tossed it in the dryer. I noticed Bella suddenly lost her train of thought.

"Huh. That's quite an achievement," I smiled.

"What is?" she asked, snapping back to reality.

"A vampire losing their concentration." I winked at her.

"Oh hush, Felix," Bella giggled, shaking her head slightly.

"To be fair, you tend to do the same to me." Her wicked smile nearly stunned me right there. "But, as I saying," I continued, putting on a dark red button up and rolling up the sleeves to the elbow, "they need to see us out and about during the day, and with all this cloud cover, it's perfect." I ducked into the walk-in closet to change the rest of my clothes, not wanting to delay any longer than needed. There would be plenty of time for all that stuff later, not that I was complaining in the least.

"Good point, babe," she conceded.

I quickly realized I was out of my depth at the store. I had no idea what would be a believable amount of food for two humans for a week. Bella pointed it out when I put three bags of sugar in the cart. She gently told me to back off, and did the shopping while I just tagged along, occasionally plucking something from the top shelf for her.

I thought about picking up a six pack of beer, since it was practically a must for guys in this town, but I realized I didn't have an ID. That gave me an idea.

"Hey Emmett, got a favor to ask." I was rather glad I knew someone who could provide us with quality papers, since Demetri and Heidi went off. I didn't even have access to the equipment necessary.

"What's your address now?"

"Holy hell, Em, do you have documents on file or something?" I chuckled, then gave him our address.

"Not hardly," he laughed along with me. "You didn't count on Alice. She sent Jasper to get them last week, since he's the one that usually handles all that for our family."

"I should have known. Speaking of that, what have you been up to?"

Over the next several minutes, he filled me in on everyone.

"So basically, same shit, different day?" I grinned at his overly descriptive narration of life in the Cullen household, including a knock-down, dragged out wrestling match between him and his brothers.

"Really! That fight lasted for a full twelve hours! But yeah, basically," he answered. "But what the hell happened with you guys? You seemed like such a solid group!"

"Oh God. In short, Jane used her fiery thing on me, Bella attacked her, and we all split. It's a lot of stress to be under, and some of us didn't handle it well." I sighed. "It'll all work out eventually. We really are too close to not regroup down the line."

He could tell I didn't want to elaborate further, and he dropped the topic. After checking all the details we needed for the papers, we talked hockey for a while.

Granted, having the papers were a very minor thing in the big scheme of things, but I knew how small town police could be, especially after the neighbors got nervous. Not calling attention to ourselves was my biggest priority here, all the better to avoid anyone that might be an actual threat. After all, the only other places you would really see vampires settle down and act human were in huge cities you could fade into the background and Volterra.

Bella vaulted over the couch, landing feather light in my arms. She was all I needed, the rest was just a bonus. She took the lead this time, raining kisses all down my jaw and neck.

She made me push all my worries, major and minor out of my mind. She was happy, and we were relatively safe for the time being. Nothing in the world was going to pull me away from my Bella now.

"Felix!" The call came along with a swift banging on the door. I wasn't going to let him ruin this moment with Bella for me.

"Go away!" I muttered over my shoulder.

Two seconds later, Demetri and Heidi strolled in through the unlocked door, not that a lock would have matter. Bella, in an unusual display of intense public affection, refused to move.

"What is it Dem?" I said exasperated.

"Not happy to see me?" he laughed.

"You know I am, but..." I motioned to Bella.

"Ah, gotcha. I got an idea," he grinned. "I won't be long."

"The hell happened to your phone you insisted we all have?" I questioned.

"Blame Heidi," he chuckled, no further explanation needed.

"Hey Bells!" He gave a quick glance at Bella, still straddling my lap, and continued anyway. "From what I can tell, the Volturi know we've split up, but without a definite plan of attack or a tracker. There's a couple of them in Dallas, hoping one of us comes through there. Basically they've sent out scouts. I say we should hunt them down before they get a chance to start a witch hunt. The Ancients have kept it all pretty quiet thus far."

"And you want me to take care of the Dallas bunch? Easy enough, now come back later," I grinned, returning to Bella.

"Actually, we're headed west. I'm tracking the guards that are still on the move. The rest are doing the same."

"Cut their numbers until there's no one left. Good plan, Dem. Now out, I have my wife to tend to."

"We'll stop by in a few weeks," he laughed, walking as slowly as he could stand out the door just to annoy me.

It occurred to me how even as divided we were, we were still taking care of the whole, one person at a time. I had my first glimmer of hope that beating the Volturi at their own game would be far easier than I thought.

**A/N: Ah the quiet life for Bella and Felix. I have to admit I'm a bit jealous. But will things really be that simple? ;)**


	12. Wrath Behind The Reason

**A/N: What's up everybody? Here's another chapter for you. I got some serious motivation, and been writing and editing this like mad. Enjoy!**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**Wrath Behind The Reason**_

Bella and I drove to Dallas in the predawn hours, turning off the lights on our new Audi TT Quattro and flooring it. With our limo black tint windows, our car looked like a black stealth bomber skipping through the night, nearly impossible to see and gone before you could blink. I'd grown quite fond of it since we bought it a couple of weeks ago.

"What's the plan?" Bella asked, fiddling with the radio.

"Dallas is big, but not that big. I have know where they might be, so we'll start there. If I don't pick up a fresh scent or anything, literally running around the city is the next move."

Bella's face was a happy-go-lucky mask, but I saw how worried she really was. From her point of view, I only had her as backup and no idea how many I'd be facing. She failed to realize she was actually the best person I could have with me, beside perhaps Demetri. Her unconscious desire to protect me would only serve to heighten her fighting ability.

We had been sparring since Isle Esme. She was an incredible fighter, but needed to hone her skills. In the past month, she had gone from gut reflexes to a very lethal opponent. However, I knew if we were fighting more than a half dozen, we'd be in trouble, predominantly because I'd be trying to be everywhere at once, so Bella had nothing to do really. It was the first time I wasn't certain about my ability and how Bella fighting along side me might actually trip me up. The thought honestly terrified me. I had to remind myself that Bella could, in fact hold her own, and she would be fine as long as we didn't get separated.

"We're not going to be trekking through sewers and stuff, are we?" Bella grimaced.

"No," I replied, my laugh filling the car. "Guards are accustomed to a certain amount of luxury, so they'll have a cushy hotel. Well, they did yesterday, and I highly doubt they've moved since then."

"Do you know who it is?"

"Oh yeah. Corin, for sure, but she's not alone." I sounded rather nonchalant in the face of the current situation.

"What can she do?"

"Basically like Jasper, but much less expansive. She can only make you happy with the status quo. You might be immune to her, so shield me too just in case if you can, but I'm not going to chance it. When we find her, I'll hit her hard and fast before she can make me not want to kill her."

"You WANT to kill her?" Bella gasped.

"Well, yeah. It's not going to be the highlight of my day or anything. She will kill both of us if she gets the chance, Bells. The guards put all their personal feelings aside to do the will of their masters. The only way to have a hope of beating them is to do the same," I said, trying to make her understand the severity of all this. "I did like Corin somewhat, but she would never turn against Aro and thinks we're heinous traitors. Out of respect and mercy, I'll make it as quick as I possibly can."

"You call that mercy?" she huffed. I would have got very annoyed if it was anyone else needing this much explanation.

I thought she had understood how the Volturi worked by now, but some of the aspects of that life weren't always rational and definitely weren't as humane as Bella would have liked. Actually, far from it. We were cold and calculating, almost like a drone army, letting our own wants fall by the wayside and doing whatever the Ancients wanted us to, regardless of if it made sense. Caius's little werewolf side trips were just one of many. I'm not suggesting we didn't have our free will to an extent, no thanks to Chelsea, but it was engrained over so many centuries not to deny them, period. That's not to say we didn't complain and grumble about it at times when we were away from Volterra.

"Yeah, I really do Bells. Demetri and I are probably the kindest of the bunch in that way, besides Alec, but that's really only due to his gift, not out of a reverence for what we once had. I really feel for Jane's victims. Not only can she torture them beyond anything you can imagine, she can keep it up for days. That's no small feat to cause that kind of physical pain in a vampire. And it just keeps building and building the longer she's at it."

"How can she be so cruel?" Bella muttered in disbelief.

"I have to admit, it's one thing I can't stand about Jane," I said, almost disdainful.

"But you love to fight. You take joy in killing someone else! How is that different?" Her voice pitched up, clearly upset.

"Whoa! Hold it right there missy! I DO NOT take joy in killing another immortal! I don't mind killing them, but that's hardly interchangeable with 'joy'. With humans, it's unavoidable. The blood," I added with a grin when I saw her horrified expression. "I would be kicking myself about it later, and it's a purely physical thing for me now."

"And what's your excuse for vampires?" she snapped.

"Haven't we already be over this?" I quickly realized that was the wrong thing to say, evidenced by her snarl. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that! This is one of those dog-eat-dog, kill or be killed things, love. I'm not interested in wiping everyone out, but we will deal with the ones that we come across. I truly have no idea what would happen if we destroyed the Volturi and I have no plans to. They keep our world in line, and protect it, as odd as that sounds. So essentially, we need the Volturi, or something like it. All I'm trying to do is protect my own while also sending a very clear message not to cross me, and just let us be."

I still had an unpleasant time mentioning my Skylar family by more than vague pronouns, it only reminded me of what I had lost not long ago. I missed them, even Jane. Although being with the love of life made up for it, I couldn't shake the nagging sense of failure.

"But why are we searching for Corin if we just want to be left alone?" she questioned, finally beginning to see the reasoning behind this.

"Make no mistake, Corin will without a doubt look for us and try to kill us when she's ready. I know how missions like this are conducted, and being this close to her, we might as well have put an announcement on the front page of the newspaper. It's really more of a matter of getting to her before she gets us."

"Okay, I get that. Why is Demetri tracking down others then if they're nowhere near us? That seems callous."

"You misunderstand. Another Guard is too close for comfort to Alec, Chelsea and Jane, or possibly knows too much about our situation. If Alec was in, say South Africa, we wouldn't worry about it if nobody was reasonably near by. I guess that wasn't clear in our conversation. Demetri and I have known each other so long that we just understand each other perfectly with minimal communication. Even Heidi doesn't have that with him on the level I do."

"What if the Volturi don't back down?" She was more concerned and worried than I would have thought. Haven't I shown her I'd never let anything happen to her?

"You're inquisitive today," I chuckled. "Honestly, Bells, we'll take it as it comes. Caius can be rash, but Aro's not. He won't risk relinquishing the power he's worked as hard to build. He's smarter than that."

"I hope you're right," she sighed, not wanting to think about this further.

I winked at her, erasing the bad vibes for her overactive imagination and gaining a blinding smile from her perfect lips.

I understood the mechanics of love with our kind, but I never knew the depth of it. There wasn't a thing she could do that I wouldn't forgive her, nothing that would make not a miserable heap of stone when she wasn't around. And, God, I could bring myself to even think of losing her. Even the fleeting thought crossing my mind was almost enough for me to give up the will to live. And she felt exactly the same way for me.

Yet, I was still amazed I was even more in love with her than when I saw her all those months ago. It was completely beyond my control, beyond any reason, and I wouldn't trade it for the universe. Bella was my universe. Everything I did, everything I said, my whole life revolved around her.

"What?" Bella snickered. She had caught me staring at her. "You've got those puppy love eyes."

"Just thrilled you're mine," I grinned. "It would take nothing less than God himself to tear me away from you, and I'd still put up one hell of a fight."

Bella giggled and was left with a smile plastered on her face for the rest of the drive.

Dallas was seventy miles away, but we made it thirty minutes.

I immediately went into full business mode as soon as we crossed the lake, entering the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex. Bella settled into a similar state, wanting to eliminate this current threat and get on with our lives.

She seemed to think it was really that simple, but we both knew better. I desperately wished I could make it that easy. I could deal with my own uncertainty, but my wife's as well was nearly overwhelming.

_One step at a time, Felix. One step at a time. _I had to keep reminding myself it was pointless worrying about tomorrow, but it was unavoidable. Days passed in the blink of an eye for someone as old as I was, and not knowing if I would see next week, much less next century was really something I didn't need on my plate right now. I wasn't worried for me, Bella was always so close to me, whatever end I eventually met, she would do. It was horribly unfair to promise her forever and have it snatched away.

I went over all the things I knew about Corin's fighting style and through any ideas I could conceive to counter her ability if I needed to. I forced myself to think of her the same way I did so many years ago when a newborn she created slaughtered an entire village, exposing us to the human population in the area and the Volturi interceded. Then, Corin was nothing more than a criminal, but Aro spared her because of her talent.

At the time, I vehemently disagreed. We'd grown to be at the very least casual friends over the years, but she was too conceited and too annoying to get close to. In that aspect, Corin reminded me a lot of Jane, and I only had enough patience to deal with one person with those unwanted qualities.

"So, what should I expect?" Bella finally spoke after an hour of checking for scents around a couple five star hotels.

"Her ability is the main thing, so do not let any contentment cloud what you know right now. As I said, you should be able to block her, but I'm not positive since I don't know exactly how her power works. Also, she's wicked fast, but fights like a girl," I stated, as I parked the car in the underground garage.

"Hey!" Bella mockingly pouted.

"Oh, knock it off, Bella," I snickered and playfully nudged her with my elbow. "I meant she does the whole flailing hands and hair pulling bit. She won't be able to pull you're gorgeous hair out, but it will give you a brief case of whiplash. But, really, the way you fight, I highly doubt you'll have a problem one-on-one. You're still hellishly strong compared to her, just don't get ahead of yourself. She'll also think you fight like most other young ones, so use that to your advantage."

"I thought you were going to kill her," Bella said a little uneasy.

"I will, but I have no idea who's with her, three from what I can tell," I said as I sniffed the air. "I'll need to at least see what they are capable of first. I just need you to keep Corin busy long enough to feel out the others and take them down first if need be."

The stairway, for some unknown reason, was shut tight. I quickly crushed the handle, dislodging the lock.

"Bells, I need to check all the floors for the scent. I'm guessing she took the elevator, and I don't have the patience to sit through thirty floors in a box. We're going to run as fast as we can silently," I told her, taking her hand. It fit perfectly into mine. "I'll do the hunting, just follow me, babe."

I gave Bella my cocky little grin, assuring her I was actually looking forward to this. It was in my nature, and I was ready for a decent fight. It was my strength, the one thing I could do better than anyone else in the world.

I had to remember not to get overconfident, because that attitude got people maimed and killed. I'd never been concerned about it before now, but I didn't have the backing of the Volturi now either. Countless times had I seen someone think were stronger, faster or more clever than me in a brawl, and they slipped up and quickly lost, just like Santiago and Afton. Just like Corin would no doubt underestimate Bella.

I took off at a sprint, Bella right on my heels moving too fast for any mortal to notice. Climbing the stairs was effortless and she caught on to how to transverse them just a split second after I planted my foot and jumped to the next landing, pulling her along side.

We continued up the building that way. Jump, turn and jump again. Open the door, run through the floor, and dash back to the stairwell before the door could close an inch. It only took a little over minute, and I still wasn't going as fast as I would alone.

On the second to top floor, the sweet, icy scent of vampires hit me hard. The entire floor was reserved for a huge penthouse with only the elevator and the stairway as an escape.

They heard us come through the door, and probably before that. Five figures appeared in the large den, furious and ready to rip us to pieces. Corin stood in the middle, already crouched and ready to spring, which is exactly what she did.

The small error in my plan was I didn't think Corin would go for me. I assumed she would leave me for the stronger, bigger vampires, or at least try to put so many on me that I had to fight flawlessly. She knew I was nearly as strong as a newborn, and as fast as she was and much more skilled. That's huge risk I didn't believe she would take. It changed my tactics, but I adapted instinctively.

I briefly wondered if that was her idea or the Ancients, although it didn't matter at this point. She had to know she couldn't win. Or perhaps she wasn't expecting to cross paths with me. Her ability was more suited to taking on Alec and Jane, or even Demetri, but not my pure and raw strength.

"Oh the stupidity," I muttered bitterly.

Thanks to my heightened senses, I was able to keep tabs on the slightly slow-to-react other four. Three males and one female, all athletic in build but in different ways: big and bulky, small and lean, combinations of the two.

In the fraction of a second it took Corin to cross the room and for me to skip back from her poorly aimed blow, all hell broke loose.

Corin spun on spot, trying to kick off the table, to get up and over me. I grabbed her arm, throwing her instead against the ground and placing my foot on her neck. She wasn't going anywhere while I was crushing her, no way she could throw me off.

Three of the vampires rushed Bella, causing me to panic inside my head, followed quickly by a calm wave of happiness with no desire to fight anymore. It faded just as soon as I looked at my love, my wife, and remembered why, happy or not, Corin had to go. Bella didn't seem affected, and I thanked my lucky stars for that.

I saw the shock on Corin's face twist into rage when she figured out that I wouldn't be subdued with her gift. That was the ace up her sleeve, the reason she wasn't opposed to fighting me. She relied on that power far too much, and she was about to pay dearly for it.

I smashed Corin against a fancy stone waterfall built into the wall just right to crack her marble skin all over, giving me the time I needed to get at least two of the attackers to focus on me, rather than Bella. The biggest of the three didn't even have the chance to turn around and look at me before Bella's mouth brushed his neck and the all too familiar sound filled the room.

It was then the unknown female roared in fury, and pushed her way to Bella with a single-minded ferocity. Bella was ready for her though.

In the same second, Corin was on her feet and headed my way. Faster than they could hope to move, I grabbed the last two males, and squeezed, crushing one's neck to dust and the other to lose his arm from the shoulder down. I turned on the spot, threw the severed arm at Corin and twisted the second's head clean off.

Bella and I glance at each other, and I understood what she planned to do, and I did the same. We kicked our opponents backward, right into the path and waiting teeth of each other. The female was down the moment she was within arms reach, but Corin turned to hit Bella in the chest, forcing her further away from me.

I pounced and with Corin so focused on this new threat, she didn't even know I was there until I pinned her to me with a hold she couldn't hope to break. I yanked her head to the side by her hair exposing her neck.

"Game over, bitch," I said, sinking my teeth all the way through her in one swift motion.

The group was easy to take care of, too easy for the pep talk I'd given Bella or prepared myself for. There was the usual loud din of immortals crashing into each other, and maybe a some slight shaking of the walls and floor, but it was all over in a few moments.

I looked around the room and noticed a distinct lack of the total destruction I would have expected. A hole in the wall and a sizable dent in the carpet, not to mention the flooding from the shattered plumbing of the water feature, but not a single piece of furniture out of place. That was usually the first thing to get broken. I doubted hotel security would be sent until later to tell us to keep it down, at least until water started trickling down through the hotel room on the lower levels. They tended to turn a blind eye towards the penthouse suites.

I thought it might look odd for us to carry dozens of white, twitching rocks down to the fireplace in the lobby, nor would it have been good to torch the hotel room. I spotted a perfect place for a bonfire down below, but I wasn't sure if Bella would be comfortable enough to make the jump. I shrugged to myself, figuring I'd just dash through the building again, and put my fist through the plate glass window. I grabbed most of the various parts, and with an amused smirk at Bella, stepped into the air, landing perfectly on the ground below. I mentally sent my apologies to whoever had to fix the foot deep crater I made in the concrete.

Sure enough, Bella was eying me hesitantly from the twenty-ninth story. I chuckled to myself and jumped lightning fast to the fourth floor, scaling my way up the hotel in a matter of seconds.

"Hey Bells," I grinned, hopping in the window and dipping her over into a passionate but sweet kiss.

Her olive green t-shirt was slightly torn at the sleeve, but her jeans and brown boots survived unscathed. The beautiful, brown locks of her hair were pulled up in a ponytail, bouncing lightly around her shoulders. No one else could have looked that good after such a fast-paced and deadly fight.

I collected the other scraps of vampire, easily throwing the bigger pieces into the bin below, and motioning to Bella to get the smaller ones. She didn't seem as apprehensive as she was before, probably due to the fact she saw with perfect clarity I was right about them stopping at nothing to kill us.

Just before Bella aimed for the dumpster, I swept my arm behind her knees, and caught her in my massive arms; she really was tiny compared to me. I lithely stepped again into the night air before she had the chance to protest, placing my feet just as easily in the same crater, now two feet deep straight to the packed earth underneath.

"That's it? Really?" Bella giggled, as she tossed the last dismembered chunks into the dumpster that I swiftly set ablaze.

"Yep," I winked at her. "Fun, isn't it?" I tried to decipher what, exactly, she was referring to and gave up. "The fight or the dropping out of a huge building?"

"Frankly, both. Practicing with you a blast, but that was a rush. And after that fall, I'm all keyed up. Vampires don't have adrenaline, do we?" Bella's words came out a bit faster than normal, making me raise an eyebrow.

"Not that I'm aware of. It's your instincts, babe," I laughed. "I glad you enjoyed yourself in that little brush with those vamps. Who knew we'd be so in sync in combat? You just get better and better!"

"You think so?" she murmured shyly.

"Hellcat, falling crazy in love with you is the best thing that has ever and will ever happen to me. Changing you is a close second. There's no forever, no happily ever after with you, Bells." I picked her up under her arms, pulling her into a kiss and spun her around. It was like a scene out of a romance movie, a bit cheesy but we both loved it.

"Now, let's get on with our happy little existence," Bella grinned and rose on her tip-toes to kiss my cheek.

Something didn't make sense here, something about what I said, about what Bella just said. It had been bugging me since Corin attacked me, like I was completely missing something vitally important, and I just couldn't figure it out...until now.

"Oh, fuck me!" I growled. I lost it and kicked another nearby dumpster, sending the mass of crunched metal through a nearby brick wall. I was abruptly enraged, seething and straight up livid.

"What?" Bella hissed, surprised at my sudden outburst. She was as irate as I was, as if it was rolling off me, polluting the very air.

"I know EXACTLY why that damned Ancient sent that bitch Corin!" I was having an impossible time trying to control my voice or the snarls ripping through my chest.

"Ancient? As in only one?" she cautiously asked. Edgier than I'd ever seen her, she whipped around looking for the menace that managed to provoke my full-blown temper.

"We're in so much shit, Bells, I don't even know which way is up. They sent Corin knowing we would kill her!" I quickly paced the alleyway, trying to mellow out just a bit.

"And that's bad why?" My lack of explanation wasn't doing much to pacify her.

"I'll tell you everything on the way home. I need to talk to Demetri ASAP," I sighed, controlling my rage better but I figured Bella should probably drive.

I called Heidi on the new number they gave me, and told her I needed to speak with Demetri as soon as he got back.

Bella drove like a bat out of hell, and got home faster than I thought the car could go. I made a mental note to give it another boost and tune up later that afternoon. We were going to run that car into the ground if I didn't, and it wasn't exactly street legal as it was.

I had meant to tell her everything on the road, but every time I tried, I couldn't get through more than a couple words without a vicious desire to go on a one-man Volturi killing spree clouding my mind. Regardless of my mood, I had to be touching her, with my hand in hers or resting on her thigh. I loved Bella too much to take a single moment with her for granted. It didn't hurt that her mere presence had a soothing affect on my strained nerves.

Once inside, I stood stiffly in front of the kitchen sink, glaring out the window into the brightening morning. Bella snaked her arms around me and laid her head on my back, just letting me know she was there. The corners of my lips twitched up into a crooked grin. Turning around to embrace my wife, I knew I could handle anything as long has she was alive and well, and preferably wrapped in my arms. She was my rock and a better source of happiness than Corin could ever hope to be. Feeling her safe in my arms was all I need to regain my composure.

I had been acting rather badly in the last two hours, and I couldn't blame Bella if she was upset with me. The undeniable truth was she wasn't, even if she didn't understand the reasons for my anger and my actions. She knew the only thing that had that severe of an affect on me was something that threatened her. Bella sensed something scary and unknown was lurking just over the horizon, but she wasn't the kind to run, and she wanted to face whatever was coming with me. That was far more than I deserved.

Demetri barged through the door, wide-eyed and incredibly confused, clutching his mate's hand like it was a lifeline. Heidi had give him the message in the same tone I told her, and it was obviously enough to disturb him.

"I killed Corin," I said through my clenched teeth, no further explaining needed.

"Goddamnit," Demetri whispered, realizing the same thing I did. He was quick on the uptake. Heidi, not so much. She had the same horrified but desperately confused expression Bella was wearing.

"Heidi, how much do you know about Corin's power and more importantly it's purpose?" I asked, trying with everything I had to stay collected.

"Apparently, not that much, since I don't get what the big deal is," Heidi shrugged.

"She essentially kept the wives happy and Caius complacent in between expeditions. It was also highly, highly addictive."

"Oh my God," Heidi gasped.

Bella closed her eyes and dropped her head, understanding how deep of a grave we just dug ourselves.

"Aro won't be able to control Caius without her and won't deny his wife the vengeance she wants for taking that away from her," I growled. I was seething worse than before and I had no idea how long I'd be able to hold it together. Truth be told, I was partly pissed at myself for not putting it together before all this.

"Why didn't I see it before?" Demetri said sharply.

Wrath flowed through me, stronger than Caius on the worst of days. I was done walking on eggshells, done sending messages I knew would be ignored, and done trying to stay out of the Volturi's way. With a voice solid as steel and colder than ice, I made my intentions known.

"Caius just signed his own death warrant."

**A/N: And there you have it. Felix is uber pissed and about to do something about it. If you can't tell I was rather pissed myself when I wrote the last half of this, so I think it bled through a bit more than I intented.**

**I fully understand that Bella isn't much of a fighter in canon, but considering it's something that's so important to Felix, and what they're up against, I think it would have rubbed off on her a bit. Remember, she was all up for killing everyone in the Volturi in BD. I just took that and tweaked it a little.**

**I love reviews, and THANK YOU so much for all the favorite stories/author I've gotten lately. They make my day. :)**


	13. Amusements And Headaches

**A/N: And here's chapter 13! My lucky number! So in honor of that, I got itch for a pic of Bella and Felix (yeah, I used pics of the actors, so Felix's hair is shorter, and he looks less mencing with golden eyes.) I'm a little annoyed with her hair, I couldn't get it right before my patience got the best of me, so be gentle. Here's the link, just remove the (dot) etc. and replace it with the actual thing.**

**www(dot)tinyurl(dot)com(slash)bellafelix**

**I don't know how long it that link will be active for, so let me know if it's broken. So, save the pic if you want, just please give me credit if you repost it (I hate watermarks and signatures on fanpics.)**

**Also, gotta give a shout out to Rockrose and Kathy Hiester, ShelbyBells, and everyone else! Honestly, if you're curious about the future, send me a message with a question and I might give you a teaser. I've been known to do that. ;)**

**Enjoy!**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**Amusements And Headaches**_

This was no longer just a rift in the Volturi, I had turned this into a full-blown war. I had little doubt it was indeed Caius who sent Corin out with an escort that would not be overly difficult to defeat. He knew I set the events in motion that led to the defection of a vital portion of the Guard, and what would happen if we crossed paths with her.

Demetri and Heidi both looked a little worse for wear in jeans that had definitely seen better days. Heidi's cream shirt was supposed to be white and Demetri's boots were wearing out. It gave me the distinct impression they hadn't stopped moving since we split up. It didn't surprise me in the least. He was never one for sitting still for too long, he wanted to be tracking someone, especially now.

Bella was standing in front of me with my arms around her shoulders, pulling her back to my chest. Her soft hands held my forearms, lightly running her nails back and forth along them.

"Do you know if Corin was looking specifically for you?" Demetri finally asked, breaking the long silence. He was seated on one of our leather couches, with Heidi at his feet leaning back between his knees.

"I'm not positive, but I think not. I'm willing to bet Caius sent her to round up Jane, Alec and Chelsea as plan A. But even under the best circumstances, only Jane would have gone back only to talk. Aro wouldn't want to lose his two best weapons, regardless of the circumstances. Chelsea's life, however, is forfeit the second she enters Volterra, and Alec would try to protect her. Jane wouldn't let Alec die without a fight, so I don't see her going back." The memory of the talk Demetri and I shared back in the arctic flitted through my mind.

"What was plan B then? Have Corin kill you?" Demetri smirked.

"Actually, yeah, but she apparently had much more confidence in the others than she should have," I grinned.

"So what happened?" he asked.

"Plan C wasn't even on her radar. I think it was geared toward either one of us, there's no way in hell Corin would have killed us with that band of misfits. If she got herself killed, Caius would not only demand we be punished for taking away the wives happiness, but Sulpicia and Athenodora would too, and you know Aro can't say no with the entire family wanting vengeance. Marcus wouldn't give a damn either way so his vote doesn't count. And let's not forget that killing Afton and Santiago gives Aro that much more reason. Plan C is the one that worked," I sighed, still appalled at my idiocy in not seeing right through it until far too late.

"Was she actually told to come to Dallas or was she here on her own?" I was about to inquire about the same thing, but Bella beat me to it. We were definitely on the same wavelength.

"No, she was there on her own. We found Eleazar after Brazil. He's still fairly well connected to the Volturi, and he sympathized with our situation, but was really upset they would react like this. After all, we left without a problem. He told them he 'saw' us and if he could do anything to 'help'," he said, adding finger quotation marks to emphasize the misdirection Eleazar served up to the Volturi. "He was sure Corin was to search for us along the way, ultimately ending up somewhere far, far south of here. Like, Argentina south."

"We catch a break," I grinned in relief we wouldn't have what's left of the Volturi knocking on our door for a little while at least.

"Well, there's more, and this isn't so good. They know about you, Bella. Not your shield, but that Felix has a mate. Eleazar couldn't get a description or a name, so they either don't know you from Eve or they're playing stupid. The million dollar question is what do we do now?" Demetri said, more as a thought to ponder than an actual question. I ignored the ponder part.

"Caius has gone beyond all levels of insanity. They will never stop now. I only see one option. We have to take them down for good." I internally cringed at the thought. Our world without the Volturi, without the judge, jury and executioners. I didn't know if we were ready for that, or if I had a prayer of actually succeeding. Still, that all paled in comparison to Bella's life. A shadow flashed across Demetri and Heidi's faces, but they knew I was right. They were just as guilty as Bella and I in the eyes of the Ancients.

"How the hell do you suppose we do that, Felix?" Demetri asked, both his face and his voice blank, but I knew he was calculating the odds stacked against us.

"We hunt down as many as possible on their witch hunts or fishing trips, and then we go to Volterra ourselves."

"Easier said than done, brother."

"I'm not proposing we start today," I scoffed. "We need to regroup; get Alec, Chelsea and Jane here. I highly doubt Carlisle would agree to this, but at least Alice can keep a look out for us."

"I'll talk to the Cullens, and see what's up," Bella said, squeezing my arm. "Carlisle will probably seriously consider it if I beg him to," she grinned.

"Eleazar can to, if he hears anything," Heidi added.

"Would his coven help if needed? I don't want to rely on outside help, but it'd give me peace of mind to have some back up."

Heidi shifted uncomfortably and glanced at Demetri.

"Oh God. What now?" I sighed.

"Irina, Eleazar's...sister, I guess, was quite fond of Laurent. She's furious he's dead, and she knows we were around the area at the time. If she finds out it was you –"

"Well, she can kiss my ass and stay home," I huffed and rolled my eyes. "He was about to kill Bella."

Demetri cracked a laugh at my response, causing the rest of us to follow suit.

"I'll go call Chels, last I talked to her they were talking about going to India, so it might take a couple days to get here."

"That's actually perfect, Heidi. If we're going to do this, we can't afford to rush it, we can't be as patient as them either though. The Volturi apparently doesn't know where we are, so that buys us some time." My brain was working at near full capacity running through every situation and solution I thought there was even the remote chance of being confronted with, and quite a few that would never happen but I wouldn't mind seeing in some degree. Everything from them arriving in town the next day to dropping a nuclear warhead on Volterra. That one gave me a smile, no way they would recognize the sound fast enough to escape the tower and avoid the inferno.

Demetri rose from the couch and nodded at me. Heidi followed him out the back, to make their phone calls and hunt.

"If you kill a cow, make it look like a wild cat!" I called after them. Demetri flung his hand up, giving me the finger and getting a good laugh from me.

Bella chuckled, flashing a brilliant smile, darted out to the car to retrieve her cell and was back in half a second.

"What?" I grinned. She looked rather amused and lighthearted compared to the past several hours.

"It's incredibly nice to see you laughing and smiling again, Felix. What changed?" she smirked.

"We've actually got a plan. Yeah, it's a long shot, but I really think we can pull it off," I said, tousling her hair a little as she walked past me to call Carlisle from the bedroom.

I actually was relieved I had a clear course of action, but I hated to beat around the bush with Bella. I knew the dreadful odds of surviving this and still thought we had a chance, but beyond a shadow of a doubt we wouldn't all make it. There would be casualties and collateral damage. I couldn't bear to see her like she had been since Dallas; a little more than terrified and completely uncertain.

I decided then and there, the hell with the odds. I'd do my absolute best. No, better than my best and leave it up to fate. There wasn't an advantage in worrying now and I wasn't about to let Bella drag me down that rabbit hole for the sake of my sanity.

"As long as you're alright, I can easily cope with the rest," I whispered, perhaps a little louder than I wanted because Bella appeared in the doorway with her head to the side.

"What was that?" she asked. It was a genuine question, but the glint in her eyes told me she'd heard part of it and maybe even got the gist.

It was pointless to try to lie to Bella, even stretching the truth made me feel horribly guilty. I did change my words around, mainly to make the meaning more clear. "I said as long you're here, I'm not going to let anything else bother me too much," I smiled at her.

She gave me a crooked grin and shook her head chuckling a bit. That right there, that vivacious expression on the woman I loved more than anything in the world was well worth whatever price I had to pay for taking on the Volturi and keeping her safe.

"Hey Bella!" I heard Alice's voice answer from the bedroom.

"Hi Alice. Could I talk to Carlisle?"

"I already told him, and we'll help with whatever you need," she informed Bella cheerfully, but there was something about the way she said it.

I knew Carlisle well enough to note the stipulation, evidenced by the slight edge in Alice's voice. He wanted us to try and settle this civilly, if there was any tiny possibility it would work. The problem was though it had gone too far beyond that, Caius was out for blood and nothing could stand in his way now.

I motioned for Bella to hand me the phone, which she did without question but obviously annoyed.

"Hey Alice," I started. "He won't allow hunting them down, but if they come for us, you're there, right?"

"Yes, basically." She didn't agree with the doctor, but conceded nonetheless. "I'll see what I can do though."

"Alright. Well, really, thank you. I'll be in touch as soon as I know more." I closed the phone, and had a hard time not crushing it.

I closed my eyes and sighed. "I expected as much. That's Carlisle for you."

Bella was at my side instantaneously, trying to comfort me about the Cullens' reservations.

"Bells, I'm good, really," I chuckled. "I said I wasn't going to rely on outside help, and we really don't need to. It was just a backup plan and a means to get this over faster."

"So...?"

"Now, Demetri's going to track everyone he can, and if they're staying put. Alec, Jane, and Chelsea will be here in a few days and we'll all sit down and discuss the game plan." I shrugged, I was back to my happy-go-lucky self, and it felt great.

"But –" Bella started again.

"In the meantime, I need to draw a map," I said taking a very, very large painting off the wall. I planned to draw the map directly on the wall behind it.

I remembered with a quick snicker the day we got the painting. I didn't particularly like the art anyway, actually I thought it was horrendously ugly, but the over-friendly neighbor gave it to us, saying some nonsense about it 'brightening up the room'. Bella gave me a well-placed smack to the back of the head, when Anne turned around. She was no doubt looking for something to gossip about the new residents.

I just wanted to get rid of the nosy woman, and she noticed we hadn't been out and about enjoying the sunshine, so of course she came over on the sunniest day that week. Our story was we were from Seattle and not huge fans of the blindingly bright days just yet. Luckily, she seemed to buy that.

Anne wanted my help to get it from her garage; it was easily eight feet by eleven and weighed close to two hundred pounds with the frame. I told Anne I'd get it, and told Bella, vampire quick, to keep her busy and from peeking out the windows for a few minutes. My diamond skin would definitely cause a stir in the neighborhood.

I didn't hear anyone in the houses within a half block, so I was in the clear to dash across the street to the open garage, grab the monster painting, and get back to my house in a blink of an eye. I thought it might be wise to borrow her dolly and look a little ruffled, as most humans would after that. It was still a bit of a stretch, but I doubted anyone would know exactly what a normal guy my size was capable of.

It didn't look odd for the huge canvas to able to clear the door, although just barely. Being as tall as I was, I modified all the door frames and made some extra tall doors to fit in them. One of the reasons we bought this specific house was all the main rooms and the master bedroom had high, twelve foot ceilings. I didn't want to duck all the time walking around my own house.

I thanked Anne for the painting and politely as I could manage, sent her home.

I let out an irritated grunt as I gave the painting a once over. It didn't match any of the décor, a poorly done abstract piece with far too many colors. It looked like an immortal child had a temper tantrum in the middle of an art store. Bella's reaction was almost identical. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. We only left it up for politeness sake, at Bella's persistence. Now it would serve to cover the map when we weren't using it.

Bella pounced on my back, giggling and planted a kiss on my neck. She shimmied around, until her lips met mine. The passionate kiss was unreal, igniting every cell in my body.

"The map can wait," I grinned, pulling her to the bedroom.

Bella was curled up beside me with my arms around her. For the moment, we were both perfectly content to lay there with nothing but our crimson silk sheets covering us.

"Thank you, Lix." I could hear the smile in her voice.

"For what, sweetheart?" I asked, kissing the top of her head.

"I believe I'm in the same frame of mind as you. Whatever finds us, we'll deal. You're all I need."

"You're more than welcome, love," I smiled. She wasn't just saying that to make me stop worrying about her, she really meant it. I think I was rubbing off on her.

"Can we just stay in this bed forever?"

"Nothing would make me happier, but I hear Demetri and Heidi coming back," I chuckled. "We might want to put some clothes on."

"Already? Short trip," Bella said, a little surprised and disappointed.

"It was just a hunt, nothing else on the agenda," I replied, more amused than I should be with Bella's expression.

I unwilling slid off the bed, spotting my jeans. "Bella," I mockingly chided.

"What?" she asked innocently.

I held up my jeans, ripped into two pieces, and my boxers were a handful of shreds. I cocked an eyebrow and flashed my crooked smile. Bella giggled, pointing to a heap of rags that was obviously her clothes.

I shook my head, still grinning, and went to the dresser. New Jeans, a black button up with the sleeves rolled up and new pair of red boxers with little hearts (a gift from my wife) were the items I was now wearing. It was one of Bella favorite looks for me, and I liked it. So how could I possibly deny her?

Bella tossed on something similar, and I briefly wondered how long the rest of our wardrobe would last until we need to go shopping again, or we would start being more careful.

Demetri and Heidi came sliding in the door, laughing in such a way I knew something was about to make me crazy.

"Spill it Dem," I groaned.

"You've got cops on the way. Heard their radios while we were out," Demetri grinned, knowing exactly how much I liked dealing with police. I assumed I hated it because the Volturi kept the law in our world, and although small, and I always felt like a federal agent dealing with some one-horse town sheriff would didn't understand anything. Granted, it didn't happen often, but we tried to protect the anonymity any covens in the area and our own so we covered out tracks however was best, and sometimes, dealing with the police was necessary.

"For the love of God why?" I was incredibly irked, I could make out the loud, crackling radio still another two miles away but they only mentioned our address and which unit was headed here.

"Not friends with the neighbors?" he laughed. "It sounded like a noise complaint."

Heidi raised an eyebrow, eying our change in clothes. "Come hon, we should probably not be here when they show up."

"Oh screw that!" Demetri scoffed. "I'm staying, but I'll stay out of sight. Heidi?"

"Fine," she gave him an impish smirk.

"Demetri!" Bella said with more chagrin than I had, and punched him in the shoulder. She didn't mean to hit him that hard, but it made him stumble into Heidi.

They disappeared into one of the guest rooms, quietly laughing a all the way.

"It's fine, Bells. Just follow my lead, and I'll help you with what to say if you need it. You're used to cops anyway."

"True," she sighed, then notice my concerned expression. I didn't mean to bring up her father. "Don't worry about it Felix," she smiled. "Yeah, I miss him, but it's really better this way. At least he thinks I'm happy wherever I'm at."

"What?"

"Oh, he still thinks I'm dead, which I am in a way. But Alice told me he's coping just fine." She shrugged and wriggled into my arms.

I knew it bothered her more than she admitted, but she also knew it was really the only way and she had it give it up to be immortal, to be with me. I couldn't blame her for keeping tabs on him or her mother for that matter. After all, I did the same with my human brothers and sisters.

I listened more intently to the police and the radio in their car. There were two of them, but that's the only new thing I heard. No mention of why they were actually headed here, whether it was a noise violation or an overzealous birdwatcher somehow spotting Heidi and Demetri jumping over the back fence, or something equally stupid.

The officers _finally _made it to the door, I was in the kitchen, pouring a prop bowl of cereal. Bella'd make them go away better than I could. The doorbell rang, the door opened a couple of seconds later.

"Hello, officers. What can I do for you today?" Bella's musical voice answered. She was putting the charm on the two men. The younger one was clearly flustered and the other was hiding it, but his heart skipped a beat. They took an involuntary half-step back, obviously reacting to their subconscious desire to run.

"Hello, Ma'am. I'm Officer Brown and this here is Officer Sullivan. We got a report from one of your neighbors about a possible struggle at this address. Do you know why they would be calling?" The older man asked, a bit unnerved, but professional all the same. I vehemently hoped he wouldn't let that uneasiness make him suspicious.

"A struggle?" I asked, stepping next to Bella, still holding the bowl of cereal.

"Yes sir. And you would be?" Sullivan inquired, regaining his composure.

"Felix Skylar," I said, delicately holding the bowl just so. I was planning on letting it slip out of my grip if they wanted to shake hands, giving both Bella and I an excuse not to. I gave a slight nod in her direction, "this is my wife, Bella."

"Ya'll just move here?" Brown asked, poking his head in the door, obviously wanting to come inside. I stepped aside and let him, only to hear quiet snickers from Demetri and Heidi.

"Hush, Dem!" I muttered so only the vampires could hear me. "Yes, we lived up near Seattle."

"Hm-hmm," Brown mumbled. He walked around the sizable living room, eying the dislodged painting and the tall doorways. "So you have no idea what your neighbors heard?"

"Probably us rearranging the bedroom. Felix accidentally pushed the bed into the wall a little too hard," Bella grinned, just enough so they'd understand the innuendo.

"Nice one," Demetri laughed below human detection.

"What? It's true," I answered Demetri, only receive a lightning fast smack in the arm from Bella.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I don't realize my own strength sometimes," I smirked.

"You ever play football anywhere?" the younger officer asked, changing the subject.

"Nah, busted my knee in high school. Killed any career I might have had," I lied effortlessly with a shrug. I'd been asked so many times that was my normal answer, or some variation there of depending on where I was in the world.

"That's a shame," Brown said, hardly sincere. "Well, try to keep it down from now on." With that, they both nodded and left.

I heard them talking about keeping an eye on us and how odd we seemed although they couldn't figure out why. The main thing that caught my attention though was Officer Brown commenting on how hostile we seemed. I'd thought we were perfectly nice.

"Lix, what's with the cereal?" Bella asked, wrinkling her nose at it.

"Appearances. And it would have give both of us something else to do if they offered a handshake. I think we've freaked Anne out enough with that for this town," I chuckled. I quickly dumped the cereal down the sink and rinsed the bowl.

I turned to dry and put in the bowl back in the cupboard only to find Demetri smirking at me.

Heidi and Bella were happily babbling away in the living room, Heidi offered to decorate the house and a shopping trip soon on the next stormy day, which would mean any time in the next week. To my surprise, Bella actually accepted.

"What?" I finally turned and tossed the dish towel at him.

"It's just amusing, that's all," he sniggered. I raised an eyebrow, but took the bait anyway.

"What is, Dem?" I was beginning to wonder if throwing him across the house would be too harsh of a reaction to my annoyance.

"The irony. The Volturi, Jane and now the small town cops," he laughed.

"Jane?" His mention of her caught me off guard, piquing my curiosity instead. "She's not still pissed off, is she?"

"No, but I wouldn't put it above her to give you a good kick in the ass," Demetri smirked. "And don't worry, she's cool with Bella. Misses her like crazy actually."

I had to smile. If Jane and Bella were alright, the rest of us would be perfect.

Later that evening, I was laid out on the couch with Bella tucked into my side, watching some comedy on the huge TV. It was one of the few I hadn't seen and I caught myself snickering in time with Bella. With her in my arms, my favorite thing in the world, and my best friend on the other couch, life was so easy, even with the Volturi threat.

Three seconds later I felt something whip across my jaw. I hadn't even heard anything or anyone approach, I was too lost in the movie and Bella.

"The hell?" I peered up to see Jane cockily grinning at me.

"Heya Felix!"

**A/N: So, it's on between Felix and the Volturi. And Jane's back! (yay!). Alright, I know Bella usually isn't so happy-go-lucky, but here's the reasoning: she agonizes on the decision itself and simply follows through with her choice once it's made. She basically decided she was going to trust Felix's expertise and follow his lead, since she's never dealt with the Volturi before this whole thing.**

**Anyways, thanks for the awesome reviews! I really appreciate every single one. :)**


	14. Shopping, Attempted Crimes And Questions

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm back again. Getting annoyed yet? :) **

**And here's the next one. **

**Enjoy!**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**Shopping, Attempted Crimes, And Questions**_

Given what Demetri had told me not an hour before, I shouldn't have been surprised. Demetri wasn't about to pass up someone getting the better of me in a nonfatal situation, but it wasn't him that made Jane's appearance so unexpected.

I shot a playful glare at Heidi, who just smirked and shrugged. I knew exactly how it all played out. Demetri tracked Jane and Heidi kept me from noticing her. Unfortunately, Bella didn't catch the joke.

My wife was on her feet in an instant, torn between hugging Jane and ripping her head off. Luckily, I bet her to it, whatever she decided.

I picked tiny little Jane up and swung her around, not unlike I had done with Bella so many times, but it was much more brotherly.

"I missed ya girl!" I exclaimed and set her back down.

"You have no idea, bro," she smiled, thankfully it wasn't her beatific but pure evil smile. "And for the record," – she paused slightly, apologizing was never her strong point – "I'm sorry about last time, Bella. Things just got to me I guess."

I noticed the barely visible red tint to her golden eyes. She had fed on a human since Isle Esme, but I had to admit I couldn't hard blame her. The really interesting thing was she had jumped back on the wagon, so to speak. The same was true of Alec and Chelsea, standing back a bit and letting Jane have her moment.

Demetri gave Alec a nonchalant raising of his head and a casual wave to Chelsea, refusing to move and therefore forcing Heidi to get up from their cuddling. Apparently, she didn't think the same and immediately crashed into Chelsea, giving her a hug to rival mine with Jane.

"Good God, Heidi! It hasn't been that long," Chelsea giggled, but returned the embrace with equal enthusiasm.

"Good to see you, man," I told Alec, grabbing his hand and pulling him into a one armed hug.

Welcoming gestures continued all around, and Bella surprised me with her intensity with Jane.

"Hm?" Jane raised an eyebrow at me, looking rather curious.

"I just didn't expect this reunion to be so..." I couldn't really think of a way to say what I want without sounding like a pessimistic jerk.

"All because I got a little mad? So what? I'm allow to do that, we're family," she said, shaking her head a little with a grin. "I will try not to piss Bella off again though," she winked at her.

All the doubts I had about this being a family vanished. Families don't always get along, and rarely can so many brothers and sisters live together for so long without it coming to violence at times, even the mild kind. With our strong vampire emotions, it was an inevitability.

"Nice Place, Felix," Alec smiled, eying the high ceilings. "I could do without the painting though."

"Ugh, tell me about it," I laughed.

Jane briefly glanced at the picture with a comically disturbed look, probably debating whether to destroy the painting or fix it somehow. She was the most artistic one out of the bunch. I was a little annoyed I hadn't thought of it before, although for the sake of being neighborly, Bella wouldn't have let me. I decided the hell with it, and let Jane do what she was going to without a mention from me.

Of course, I should have known it couldn't be that simple.

"FINE!" Bella huffed. "Felix, do whatever you want with the painting. I hate it too, but if Anne comes back, I'm not explaining, that's your job."

"Who's Anne?" Alec asked.

"One of our overly friendly neighbors," I sighed, realizing I'd failed to mention them. "That's another thing while I'm thinking about it. You all have to be completely unnoticed, long term anyway. We can always say you're family visiting, but –"

"They've already had a police visit," Demetri laughed, cutting me off.

"Already?" Alec chuckled. "Damn, bro! I thought you were more careful than that!"

"I am!" I was suddenly rather defensive. "But you know how little speck-on-the-map towns can be! I didn't expect all the people here to ignore their instincts in lieu of politeness!"

"True, I remember that one place in Russia," Jane snickered.

"Oh God, that was one hell of a trip," Demetri scoffed.

"Why?" Bella questioned. It was always a bit odd having to fill Bella in on the backstories, since the rest of us were either there or had already hear them. I was eternity grateful no one seemed to mind, and if they did they kept their mouth shut.

"Demetri nearly killed Laurent for staring at me," Heidi laughed. "We were there for several months doing a few things there: hunting werewolves, fishing and such. So we took over this little inn outside this village, telling anyone who asked the innkeeper had run off with the nobleman's wife."

Bella snorted, grinning a little, but it was tinged with a slight bitterness because of the mention of Laurent. She also needed no clarification on exactly what happened to the two humans mentioned. I really didn't deserve to have her be so understanding about our old hunting habits, but she understood first-hand the pull human blood had on immortals. She proved yet again how kind and compassionate she really was by not holding it against us.

By dawn, thick heavy storm clouds rolled in, which to Heidi and Jane meant perfect shopping weather. I wasn't too happy about heading back to Dallas, but I agreed under two conditions; we stay away from the where the hotel was and we all go. Heidi was a little irked by the first demand.

We couldn't all fit in the Audi, so Bella and I made a run into town to get another car around mid-morning. There wasn't much to chose from, but the dealership had an amazing black and silver Shelby Mustang that I couldn't pass up. Alec whistled appreciatively when my wife pulled up in it. Bella and I flipped a coin to see who got which car, officially anyway.

Bella grinned and tossed the keys to Alec, knowing he was dying to drive it, and graciously side-stepping Jane's pleas. Demetri on the other hand wanted to be behind the wheel of the Audi, so I hesitantly let him.

The district Heidi settled on for shopping was nice enough, but bordered a not-so-great area. It was a bit odd, something you'd only see in a big city, three different, distinct neighborhoods visible from one place.

Demetri and Alec got incredibly bored considering Heidi and Chelsea refused to let them see what were trying on. Bella gave me a few sneak peeks but the lingerie was off limits. All of us were loaded down with shopping bags from the women, at least a dozen a piece.

I finally suggested we put the sacks in the cars, which they agreed. Chelsea confirmed they were almost done, so we just decided to meet at the car.

It had stopped raining for a few minutes when Demetri nudged me and said some sketchy looking guys we passed were converging on the ladies. I really didn't think twice about it. Why would I? We're vampires after all, but I thought it would be pretty funny if those idiots tried anything. Following that thought, we silently made our way over the rooftops to see what was up.

Sure enough, Heidi, Jane, Chelsea and Bella took a shortcut through a few alley way, weaving back towards the cars and headed straight for trouble. They of course heard us, we weren't trying to be _that_ quiet.

"Hey ladies!" the largest, dark haired man said with an edge that made it obvious he wasn't about to ask for directions.

This wasn't the first time we found ourselves into a similar situation. It was sort of inevitable when you've lived this long and were beautiful and rich to boot. Someone would always try to take advantage.

I held back a laugh, thinking just how wrong these guys were to think they were easy targets. The women looked delicate and fragile, but they were all much more deadly than any human. Even the worst of mortals didn't have a chance in hell of besting my girls. It was still hard to control my reflexes. Bella wouldn't appreciate it none too much if I jumped down and smashed the guy's skull in.

"Nice rock," another mentioned, looking at Heidi's sizable pink diamond wedding ring.

"Hers is even better," the the third one commented gruffly, motioning to Bella's blue diamond. I stifled another laugh, only imagining what he would think if he only knew exactly how valuable her ring was. It was quite literally priceless because of its history. I tried to picture the guy hocking it; it was rather comical, making me snicker again.

"The hell do you keep laughing at?" Demetri smirked.

"Bella's ring. The poor guy firstly has no idea who he's messing with. Secondly, not a damn clue how much that ring is actually worth. I doubt there's more than ten people in the world who could afford it if it actually had a price," I answered, amused.

"Hand them over. All the jewelry and your bags," the first guy said actually succeeding at look menacing, for a human.

"They are so out of their depth and they don't even know it," Alec sniggered.

Bella glanced up at me annoyed as the men quickly closed the distance to try and physically force the ladies to give up the goods. One of them backhanded Heidi and his hand made a rather satisfying crunch, while another tried to shove Bella to the ground. He could have be pushing a building for all the good that did him. The third, oblivious to the failed attempts of his buddies, reached for Chelsea's bag, only to fall to his knees in agony thanks to Jane.

The would-be muggers panicked, and turned to run back down the alley, but we beat them to it. Nonchalantly as ever, we strolled around the corner.

"Hey, my lovely wifey," Demetri grinned.

"Hey baby," I called to Bella, as the morons took in my massive form. That alone would have sent them crying to their mommies. "These guys giving you a hard time?"

"Hey Tiger," Bella smirked.

I had no idea a human could run that fast, but I highly doubted they'd attempt to hold up anyone else for quite a long time. In fact, they were probably considering turning away from they're life of crime altogether.

"Way to keep a low profile, Jane," Alec laughed.

"Eh," she shrugged, "they deserve it, and it's not like they're going to tell anyone."

"You know, I'm beginning to think Dallas is bad luck all around," Bella frowned slightly.

"Nah, it's just a big cities. Shit happens in big cities," Demetri said. "It's a full moon tonight. It tends to bring out the crazies."

"You got that right," I laughed.

"Wait. Full moon?" Bella was turning something over in her head. "Werewolves?" she asked a bit skeptically, like she was expected me to tell her she was ridiculous.

"Of course," I smiled as Demetri and Jane slid into the back seat of the Audi, and Bella and I in the front. "We're vampires, so think about it. Werewolves aren't completely outside the realm of possibilities. They're mostly extinct now though, maybe a handful left."

"Huh." Bella's lips pursed slightly, thinking about what she just learned. "Witches?"

"Not that I know of, and if I haven't seen a real, turn-you-into-a-frog witch yet, I'm inclined to think not. Most of those legends are actually about us., vampires not being careful enough."

"Really?" She was surprised, which wasn't unexpected. "Ghosts too, I assume?"

"You got it, babe," I said, winking at her. "Some got the wise idea to check in on their families after the change, and in the middle of the night, we do look a bit ghosty, and with the superhuman speed –"

"Basically, Felix is one of those vamps," Demetri busted out laughing along with Jane.

"You?" She asked, stifling a giggle, but the smile was impossible to hide.

"Yeah, Bells," I sighed. "Remember I said I was hard to control at times when I was a newborn?"

She nodded, putting the pieces together. "You said you were difficult."

"I think that's a bit of an understatement. I went to make sure my sisters and brothers were alright, and I nearly killed my younger brother," I shrugged. "It's no biggie, now. I didn't and it's all ancient history anyway."

"But he saw you," Bella added, half questioning.

"Yeah, flipped out and thought I was a ghost. It was about two years after I disappeared and the assumed I got killed by an animal or something."

"Hell, we heard rumors about the ghost that haunted that region well into the seventeen century," Jane giggled. "Of course, Aro wasn't mad because it really didn't have anything to do with the myths surrounding vampires. But mostly because Felix was his best enforcer and he wasn't about to give him up in light of a ghost story."

"I can't really say the same about your village. Rumors are still flying about that! Although, now they say it was due to some rogue soldiers," I laughed and shrugged at Jane.

Jane and Bella settled into a conversation on what we had been doing since Brazil. At one point, Alec laughed at the story of us meeting the neighbors, joining in the conversation from the other car beside us. Bella was rather amused the seven of us could do that as easily as if we were the in same room.

I knew somehow I couldn't really expect the locals not to notice the Shelby. Chris, the high school student next door, had been drooling over it for months at the dealership, and literally ran out of the front door the second we pulled up. The engine was pretty recognizable to anyone who was a car fanatic. Of course, Chris called his brother out to look at it, who in turn called Henry.

With human eyes on us, we couldn't just dash out of the car to avoid them.

"Guys, take it easy and for the love of God shut up," I half-ordered, half-pleaded, not loud enough for the approaching humans, but of my family heard loud and clear. I hoped the chagrin in my tone was enough to keep Alec and Demetri in line. Those two could be horrible when they teamed up on me.

"Damn Felix! How the hell did you get that thing?" Henry whistled.

"Went to the dealership this morning," I answered with a grin wide enough to trigger the survival instinct, but he was looking right past me to the car.

"A better question is how can you afford it?" Steven asked, still a bit awestruck.

"Well that was rude," Heidi muttered, barely audible even to me.

Demetri laughed but covered it with an convincing cough. He knew it was one of the few questions I didn't have a ready-made cover story for. I'd always said I was financed by my company, Volterra Tours, but now I was independently wealthy.

It took me a couple milliseconds to think of something that sounded reasonable, but would prevent further prying. I considered trying to dodge the question. I sighed, because I knew if I didn't answer some grossly inaccurate rumor would probably get around to the meddlesome Officer Brown, which I recently discovered was the police chief. Invariably, he would keep a closer eye on me, as would the entire neighborhood and probably the town. That was something I really wanted to avoid, considering the plans we were making against the Volturi.

"I started a small coffee business and it was bought out by a major corporation," I shrugged. I doubted anyone in this community was that into coffee to know which company I was referring to, but just in case it fit nicely with the Seattle bit.

"Wow, retired already! And you look so young! How old are you?" Chris asked.

"Twenty-one." I decided to lowball it, since Bella wanted to stay here a while and it would give us two extra years if we were careful.

"Bro, your neighbors are annoying as hell," Alec laughed quietly, unlocking the truck to retrieve the shopping bags in the Mustang, just to open the door for more prying.

Steven glanced at him, noticing him for the first time. With the speed Alec was talking, the man didn't hear more than a slight chuckle.

"Who's he?" Steven asked, not rude but not polite either.

_Yeah, this is definitely going to bring the chief around, _I thought, so annoyed at Alec that I considered blowing our cover and tossing the car at him.

"That's Alec, my youngest brother and his girlfriend Chelsea." She scoffed at the 'girlfriend' comment. They both really did look too young to be married, but hiding their relationship in public, especially now that they weren't under orders to hide it, was an impossibility. I motioned to the rest in turn, "That's my sister Jane. Demetri, my brother-in-law and my sister Heidi."

She and I looked more alike than Demetri and I. Although they'd be pretty dense not to notice the similarities between us all, the markers of our kind. Then again, humans tended to rationalize what they could and forget the rest.

"Shouldn't they be in school?" Chris asked, pointing to Alec, Chelsea and Jane. He looked nearly the same age as Bella, and she was obviously older so upping their age was out. For once, I was at a lost.

"We're home-schooled," Alec said, coming to my rescue. It was perfect; it explained why they weren't in school and it wouldn't raise too many questions. Sending them to high school was a great way to get even if they annoyed me too bad, though, and Jane knew I'd make good on that.

"What is with these people? Four highly personal questions in one conversation, in the middle of my driveway no less!" Bella whispered, once again outside of mortal hearing range.

"Hey Felix, can you help with the bags?" Demetri asked, allowing me to bow out of the conversation.

"Sure," I replied, all too happily.

Everyone else followed my lead and grabbed a few bags apiece, leaving the interfering men staring enviously at the sports car.

"Thanks oh so much," I scoffed.

"What? I helped you out!" Alec replied smirking a bit.

"Yeah, but none of you did anything to get me out of that faster!"

"I did!" Demetri overacting the shock at my accusation.

"Not hardly fast enough," I grumbled.

"You told us to be quiet!" Jane refuted.

"God, Jane, I know I said that but," I sighed, dropping the rest of my sentence. "Sorry, just with everything else going on, dealing with nosy people is one annoyance I could do without."

That pacified them enough, and Jane turned to help separate the fifty-two bags to their rightful owners. As always, the majority went to Heidi and Chelsea, but Bella and Jane had more than was necessary for anyone. In a move that surprised me, Heidi handed two sacks apiece to Demetri, Alec and I.

I followed Bella into the master bedroom and stretched out on the bed. She flitted across the room, through the bathroom and into the walk-in closet, putting up her new clothes. In typical guy fashion, I just tossed my bags into the corner.

I noticed a smaller sack containing a variety of small boxes. I let my inquisitive side get the best of me and dumped it out on the bed, about to peeking in what were obviously jewelry boxes.

One box bound in fine grade black leather caught my eye, the rest were fairly feminine or the classic blue boxes of Tiffany's. It did briefly make me wonder how much Bella had drained our back account, but it hardly mattered with the several million Alice gave us. I knew I probably did more damage with the Shelby this morning.

I slowly opened the box, astonished to find a platinum band with a handful of blue diamonds placed along it. It matched Bella's ring perfectly. Why hadn't having a ring myself crossed my mind. I pulled it from the box to put it on.

"You know curiosity killed the cat, don't you?" Bella smiled, a little smug knowing I couldn't resist. She took the ring out of my grasp and slid it on my finger, and gave me a very sweet, tender kiss.

"But satisfaction brought it back," I grinned. "Besides, it doesn't count if you're already dead."

**A/N: There's Chapter 14!**

**Anyways, to answer a few questions I've gotten: Don't tell me the cop thing in the last chapter was unrealistic, I actually had something fairly similar happen when I moved to a small town, and same thing with the neighbors. I tend to write stuff like that from experience. Also, with Bella being more carefree and such, you get to the point that you're confident in your abilities and those around you, so you don't worry so much about the bad stuff. Make sense? **

**I'm loving all the reviews and send you all virtual hugs and cookies!**


	15. It Begins

**A/N: Sup guys? Here's Chapter 15. It's a little shorter than the others, but it was the best place to break up the story, so I apologize for that. Things start to get serious.**

**And it clear up something, since I couldn't send you a PM, living in a small town, people assume crap that simply isn't true, especially when you look the way I do. I was saying what Felix knew those people were thinking. It was based on experience. And lighten up, it's just a story.**

**Also, I'm well aware this isn't canon, with regards to who created who, some abilities, who's mated with who, etc. It's AU for a reason.**

**Enjoy!**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond my Control**_

_**It Begins**_

The following day, Demetri and I settled into our old routine of making our attack and contingency plans.

Bella sat on the floor at my feet, watching me draw a very detailed world map in a black permanent marker as we talked. She was completely absorbed, her eyes following each movement as I finished with the black, writing hundreds of city and town names next to the dots.

I pulled out a red pen, highlighting Volterra, Dallas, the lodge in the arctic, all the places we had met the Guard so far. Next was blue, indicating their current locations as Demetri pointed them out.

"Do you think we'll have to go to Volterra?" Bella asked as I stepped off the chair I was perched on the back of to reach the very top of the map.

"Yes, Bella," I nodded. "Once the Ancients figure out what we're up to, they'll call everyone back."

"Why?" she questioned.

"The biggest problem but our best advantage is the fact that Caius is so furious. He gets erratic when he's that angry, and that means making some huge mistakes. My guess is Aro, in order to preserve his power at the top, is going to step aside and let Caius run the show this time." I thought about explaining my reasoning, but fourteen hundred years of experience with the Volturi was not something I could sum up in any reasonable amount of time.

"You're positive about that?" Demetri asked, hoping I was going on more than a hunch.

"Not a hundred percent, but more than enough to take the bet," I shrugged.

"It'll be crazy difficult to get to him after they know we're actively hunting down the Guard," Alec sighed.

"Exactly. That's why we have got to hit them hard and fast. Word travels quick, but we're quicker," I said.

"With what is left of the heavy hitters out looking for us, Volterra isn't particularly well protected. But that's only the people I know are there," Demetri added. "Anyone know of someone they might call in?"

No one answered. The Volturi only wanted the best, and having to rely on newcomers would severely damage their game plan.

"Caius surely can't be that cocky!" Alec scoffed.

"Yeah, well he is," I smirked. "Mistakes, like I said. I bet he's running scared, knowing in great detail how powerful we all are, and they still don't know about Bella's shield. I say we start with one, and then another and another and so on, and don't stop until we're in Volterra. If we can get to each Guard fast enough, Caius won't see it coming. As far as anyone can tell, they have no idea we're back together."

"We need it get going before the Volturi figure it out," Jane finally chimed in.

Demetri gave a quick nod to Heidi, who vanished into their room and returned with three sacks. As she handed one to Bella, I peered over her shoulder and looked inside.

"Get dressed, guys," Heidi said, almost sounding like a mother chiding her kids for running late.

Bella emptied the bag on the bed, tossing me a black shirt, sturdy jeans and a pair of black leather boots. Bella slipped into a purple long-sleeved shirt and jeans along with her brown boots. She put a pair of gloves for each of us, sunglasses, and hats for us both into a black backpack already containing a couple cellphones, several grand in cash and our papers Alice sent us.

I felt the oddest mix of emotions, it would have made Jasper's head explode. Anticipation, excitement, worry for Bella, concern for my family, downright anger at the Ancients, and annoyance they made this necessary when all I wanted was to live in peace with my wife. It flowed through me like a river breaking a dam, but I got them under control as I put on my jacket.

A few minutes later, we were all in the living room again, the others having made similar preparations. We really looked like a bunch of wilderness hikers with too nice coats about to go on a three-month expedition.

Demetri was staring at the world map, going into full-blown tracker mode. He shot me a sideways glance, noting my expressionless mask.

"Dem, your call. Where first?" I asked. Although I was more or less the patriarch of our family, Demetri was needed in the lead here. He tracked, I made the war plan, that's just how it always was. It felt nice to get back to something familiar and so natural to me in the mists of all the craziness.

"Gregory and Jasmine are the closest, in Mexico. There's not really any good path to take to get to them all without doubling-back a million times. They're literally all over the world," he sighed.

"Who's they?" Chelsea asked the question we all had. Who, exactly, would we be facing in the coming weeks?

"Everybody except Lucas, Tristan, Avery and Mari. And Renata of course. They're all at the tower with the Ancients and wives," Demetri answered, almost too casual for the current topic.

"Oh joy," I huffed. "Of course they would keep those people there."

Bella sighed, always one step behind when we were talking about the Volturi. I guess she thought I didn't like to explain, but I didn't mind in the least. The more she knew and understood was a step up on our enemies; most of the gifts of the Guard were mental-based.

Demetri had been working with Bella, before and after the split, honing her skill. He discovered her shield worked like a one-way mirror, anyone inside could use their talent but were unaffected by the outside.

"I think we should actually start with Tarin, she's in New Zealand sitting on our house there. Then skip over to Australia and deal with Michael, and Sophia's on the move but in southeast Asia."

"Alright, but I'm not too keen on swimming to New Zealand," Jane rolled her eyes.

"Nah, I'll get a plane," I said, chuckling at Heidi's horrified expression. "Plus, it's faster than running a quite a bit faster than swimming."

"You're buying a plane?" Chelsea gasped, snapping Demetri out of his planning. Everyone looked at me with amusement to shock and everything in between. "Carlisle didn't give you that much, did he?"

"No, but I'll charter one," I laughed. "That way, we can go whenever we need to, fairly unnoticed. The Volturi don't check flight records, there's too many to be even slightly useful and even if not, we'd be gone by the time they got there."

"Sounds like a plan," Alec agreed. He loved to fly and any excuse to be in the air was fine by him.

"Alright, then. Let's go," I said, heading to the cars and glancing at my house, my own little paradise on earth knowing I might never see it again. I immediately realized how Heidi felt when we took off from the lodge, and why she begged for one more day.

At the small airport just north of Dallas, I got a pretty nice corporate jet. The total cost of the shopping trip yesterday (Mustang included) had nothing on the plane's price tag. It didn't really bother me, although I had a mild case of sticker shock. Money doesn't mean a thing when you're immortal and can easily steal whatever you need.

We managed to get in the air just before dawn. Alec was having a blast piloting with Chelsea as his copilot. It finally made sense why they insisted on flying together whenever they could during our time with the Volturi.

"How are we going to deal with Tarin?" Demetri asked excitedly. I was right there with him.

"I'd be surprised if Tarin had more than two people with her, if she's sitting on the house," I answered. "It's actually a good thing we're getting her out of the way first. She can't blind-side us and send out a warning. Where was she last?"

"China, I think. Her mind feels weaker there," Demetri nodded to himself, concentrating on Tarin's location.

"Do what?" Bella was thoroughly baffled.

"Most of the Volturi Guards are gifted. Everyone here has some extra ability –"

"You don't," Demetri teased.

"Shut up, Dem," I grinned. He always gave me a hard time about not having something as obvious as the others.

"Anyway," I continued, "Tarin's gift is a bit hard to explain, so bear with me here. It's almost like she left part of her senses at the last place she was when she...I guess activated –" I glanced at Demetri, receiving a shrug about my word choice. – "her ability. She can hear, see, and smell what is happening at any given moment at that place, like she was standing there. Thankfully, Dem can figure out where she really is and not the figment and better yet, she doesn't know he can do that. Otherwise, if we showed up in China instead, she'd see we're all together, probably figuring out we're hunting for her, and raise the alarm in a second before we could even dream of reaching her in New Zealand. Make sense?"

Bella nodded, taking in this new information. "What did she use it for? It doesn't sound very useful in a fight."

"Oh, it's not," I laughed. "She actually has to turn it 'off' in a fight because it's too distracting. Aro had her keep an eye on the wives when he was away, so he could return quickly if there was a problem. It's sort of like a surveillance system. It probably saved Sulpicia, Athenodora and Corin's lives when the Romanians tried to overthrow the Volturi. He was only in the next town over. That's how protective they are of the wives, they're practically prisoners."

"And Corin kept them happy with that?" she asked, trying to line up the pieces and make it all fit.

"Yeah," Jane, Alec and I all answered at the same time, cause us to snicker a bit.

"I do wish Eleazar was here though," Chelsea sighed.

Bella was about to ask, but I clarified, "Eleazar can sense other immortals gifts. When he was with us, he could give us a heads up for anyone we should watch out for in a fight."

"But –" she started.

"He's playing both sides of the field. It's very, very hard to get inside information on the Volturi, and we can't risk them finding out Eleazar is actually on our side," Demetri explained.

"Wait! What about Alice? Shouldn't she be able to tell us if we'll run into something?" I nearly shouted, jumping out of my chair. I was looking at Bella, my eyes pleading for something good, something that meant we weren't walking into a highly dangerous situation blind.

"She told me she would call if anything serious appeared in her vision," Bella said, almost as glad as I was that I found this loophole.

We landed a couple hours before dusk, a full day after we left Dallas, having to stop and refuel once.

The scent of vampires became stronger as we neared the house. There were only two others with Tarin. It made me laugh at how stupid Caius could be, spreading his troops so thin.

"You don't think this is another thing like Corin do you?" Heidi whispered.

"No, like I said, when he gets angry, he gets impulsive," I muttered back.

"They haven't been here long, maybe two days," Demetri said, his voice low and business like. He retreated several miles so we could discuss the situation, without worrying about them hearing us.

"The Alec-is-awesome plan, Felix?" Alec smirked. He always enjoyed using his talent, pushing it over the vacation home, so all we had to do is walk in, and burn them where they stood.

"Heh, no. I want to talk to Tarin, find out what, if anything, else she knows," I said, grinning at him. "Bella and I will take point. Dem, Alec and Jane, hang back but don't do anything unless really necessary. And Heidi, Chelsea, stay behind them. Jane, do not let Tarin get away."

"Aww! But I want to see some action!" Jane griped but reluctantly nodded, moving to stand beside her brother.

An explanation of the plan wasn't required, but I laid it out for Bella's benefit. It was vital she understand everything, leaving no room for misconceptions. The last thing I wanted was for her to get hysterical because she thought the others abandoned us or something.

"We're splitting up?" Bella was incredulous.

"It's only three, Bells. I can handle it alone, but we both know you would be going crazy not being beside me and you're awesome to have in a fight," I smiled, rolling my eyes. She always severely underestimated herself. "They still think we're all off doing our own thing, and I'd like to keep that going as long as possible. Dem and the twins are just insurance they don't run. Chelsea, as soon as were in range, kill those bonds."

"I already tried, there's nothing there to break," Chelsea sighed.

"See? Erratic, putting people together with nothing but self preservation on their minds," I chuckled. "Bells, Tarin's all yours."

"Felix, you sure you wouldn't rather have me?" Demetri asked. He didn't mean anything by it, just he'd never seen Bella really fight, and having been my wingman for so long, he felt a bit out of place.

"Dem, you should have seen her at the hotel! She was kicking ass three-on-one!" I smiled, proud of my wife. He just chuckled and waved me off.

I grabbed her hand and sprinted through the sparse forest towards the house. When we reached the clearing, the others held back without a sign from me.

Bella and I didn't slow down as we approached, every instant of surprise only helped us. I darted ahead of Bella, crashing through the door.

It frustrated me there were two women, Tarin and fierce female. The other woman looked like she could have bested Bella, but her eyes gave her away, she was a newborn, only a week old and horribly inexperienced.

The man with them was nearly as tall as me, but much thinner. Tarin had recruited his help in China and he was as calm and cool as a you could get. He was sorely mistaken if he thought he could hold his own against me.

Bella tackled Tarin, as I was circling the man, twisting most of her lower arm off with a wicked snarl. Tarin reached for her arm briefly, but Bella had already tossed it in the fireplace. A scream of agony and fury filled the room. She bolted to the door, only to be caught around the waist by me, and thrown back to Bella.

The other female made the biggest mistake a newborn could make and went for the obvious kill. With next to no effort, Bella grabbed the girl's head as she lunged, ripping it from her shoulders. In a instant, the white chuck was in the fire too.

I laughed when the man finally made a move and I easily blocked it, slapping his arm to the side. It abruptly ended when, somehow, he managed to land a hit. He was clawing for my arm, anything really, trying to remove it, but he only tore my jacket and shirt off.

I smirked as I caught Bella's eye. Even in the middle of a fight, she couldn't help eying me like he was going to jump me the second this was over. The love and lust were obvious on her face. I couldn't resist winking at her.

Tarin saw the quick exchange and took it as an opportunity to team up with the Asian. She fended Bella off until my back was to her, not realizing I was watching her fight as closely as my own.

Tarin sped across the room, her teeth bared and heading straight for me. I gripped her by her chin, slamming her into the man and forced both of them into the foundation. Tarin leaped up, bluffing towards Bella to get behind me again. I knew she was there, but before I could spin and kick her through the wall, Bella caught up and began taking her part, piece by tiny piece. Within a minute, Tarin's arms and legs were a mangled mess.

The man was clever and fast, but I was better. He feigned to the left, then to the right. I mirrored his movements, and when he feigned once more, I snatched him by the side easily, putting my arm behind his head and up through his shoulder and brought him down with incredible force, utilizing a good part of my strength, slamming his chest into my knee. A nearly deafening crack ricocheted off the walls and the trees outside as his arms were broken away and his chest crumbled around my knee. Feeling the skin of my leg crack wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world.

He gasped something in Chinese along the lines of 'how can that be possible' referring to the quarter of his torso that I had just pulverized to dust. He'd never seen that degree of raw power, not even in the toughest of our kind, and that's exactly why I was so valuable to the Volturi.

It's not that I couldn't think of some smart-aleck remark for him before I killed him, as par the course for me. I just didn't think he deserved it. Plus, the smirk playing on my lips said it all, I was better and he was about to be exterminated. I didn't even bother setting him on fire, yet, instead scattering dismembered parts around the room.

"OUCH!" Demetri laughed from the doorway.

I walked over to Bella, nonchalantly sitting on Tarin and idly throwing pieces of vampire into the now roaring fire. She wasn't making her suffer because she was callous and cold, like Jane could be, just the opposite. For that one moment, when she saw Tarin coming for me ready to kill, and for that split second Bella wondered if I would survive, and was now taking all that fury out on Tarin. If Bella hadn't earned her 'Hellcat' nickname yet, she definitely had now.

Demetri raised an eyebrow at my missing shirt, and gave Bella her backpack he had been holding during the fight. Still as casually as ever, she retrieved a new black button up for me.

"So Tarin, what's up?" I said conversationally, fastening the buttons and rolling up my sleeves.

The frenzied look that flashed across her face before she rearranged her features told me more than anything she could have said. She knew absolutely nothing, and she was as close to Aro as Renata was. Caius was in control, Aro would have never sent her otherwise. I wondered what he had told her when he sent her here.

"You're all going to die, you fucking bastard," she said with a icy tone quickly turning into a scream when Bella ripped the rest of her leg from her torso. She couldn't get off the floor or move even if she wanted to. She knew it was over.

"Whatever you say, you fucking bitch," I smirked. "Come on Bells."

As Demetri, Bella and I walked out the door, I tossed a match onto Tarin's clothes, roasting her alive and torching the house.

"Sorry about the house Heidi," I said, giving her a crooked yet apologetic smile.

"Eh, it's alright, we needed to rebuild it anyway," she grinned.

"This is how it's going to be? Taking them out one at time? Because if so, I call the next one," Alec said, disappointed he missed out yet again.

"Yeah, until they wise up. We can't allow them to try and regroup, and there's no way the Volturi can put together a group powerful enough if we continue at this pace," I replied, praying we could drop the tactics talk already. The plan only needed to be stated once, and this was just beating a dead horse with a stick.

I saw Demetri's expression change infinitesimally. He had been trying extremely hard not to think about the very real possibility some or all of us would die on this mission. I had been doing the same, and we both knew even though the confrontations so far had been relatively easy, we could count on it always being that way. No doubt the Volturi would have someone unbelievably powerful we knew nothing about. I banished that train thought, before it could freeze me solid.

"Shall we?" I said, motioning to the south and to the plane over sixty miles away on a private, remote airstrip.

Jane and took off first with Bella and I bringing up the rear. I paused for a second, wondering why Bella wasn't right beside me as usual. She smiled and pounced on my back for a piggy back ride, I was always more than happy to oblige.

**A/N:And so the hunt is on. Look, do not send me PMs and reviews about how you're offended by me calling the guy Asian. It's one of the only other options I had other then man and guy without really offending someone.**

**Thanks for the reviews guys!**


	16. Dangerous Surprises

**A/N: First off, I know this chapter is short. REALLY short compared to the others. It's more of a build up to the next one and I'm not the biggest fan of adding BS just to expand the word count. So forgive me. **

**A shout out to Cullensbabymama7, she's awesome :)**

**Enjoy! (and once again, sorry about the shortness, I'll make up for it)**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**Dangerous Surprises**_

Michael was definitely not one to be trifled with. He was the only other physically formidable member of the Volturi, other than myself.

"Hey, does anyone know if Michael has any outside connections?" I asked. It had occurred to me that he rarely traveled alone, it set a bad image for the Volturi. Even I almost always went out with Demetri, Alec or Jane, and usually all four of us.

"Why didn't I put it together before? He's originally from Australia! Of course he knows people there!" Heidi exclaimed, rather pissed she had missed it.

"Anyone I've met?" Demetri questioned hopefully.

"Not that I'm aware of," Heidi sighed.

"Well, last I heard, there was only a handful of immortals in all of Australia, maybe half a dozen. Even if he's with them all, we're still even on numbers," I shrugged. "I highly doubt they're as gifted as this group is."

"True. Are we scouting this one?" Demetri hated scouting, but it was good tactics with heading into any situation.

"Not this time, Dem. You should know that. It's Michael, no way to sneak up on him," I reminded him. I figured I'd explain to Bella before she could ask. "He can detect people up to a hundred miles or so; can't tell exactly who they are, but he can tell if their human or not. I think our best bet is to go all together and hope he thinks we're Volturi."

"That might work if he still thinks we're not together," Jane said, thinking it over.

"Wait a second. What's his ability based on?" Bella asked, obviously on to something, and only a fraction of a second before I was on it too.

"Perfect! Bells, you're a goddess!" I smiled as I picked her up and kissed her. "You think you can?"

"I'm pretty sure I can. We can still follow the original plan just in case," she said, a little doubt creeping into her voice towards the end.

"Hey Alec?" I called to him in the pilot seat.

"Yeah, I heard. Tell me when." I could hear the smirk in his tone.

"Alright, Bells, shield everyone except Alec and Chelsea," I instructed and a moment later she nodded. "Ready when you are, Alec."

"God, I hate this," Chelsea complained as the fine mist from her mate closed in on her.

"Everyone else fine?" Alec asked after a couple seconds.

"Bella! That's incredible!" Heidi gasped.

The near invisible shimmer flowed all around but never touching us.

"Well, I've been shielding us as much as I can, just in case they managed to find another tracker, but it's very difficult in a fight to keep it around the right people. That's what happened at the hotel, why my shield dropped from you," she sighed.

"Wow," I whispered. I was in awe of my wife, she had tried so hard to protect not just me, but all of us, and none of us had a clue.

"Wow indeed," Jane nodded at me. "Maybe we can do it this way: Demetri, Alec, you and me go first with Bella shielding us. She can stay back with Heidi and Chelsea."

"I agree," Demetri said.

"Alec!" Chelsea yelled a minute later, flailing her arms in an attempt to get his attention.

"Oh!" Alec had apparently forgotten to remove Chelsea from his power among all the chatter. "I'm so sorry babe!" He leaned over and gave her a tender kiss, but she wasn't as receptive as he'd like.

"Yeah, yeah," Chelsea huffed.

The rest of the flight was somewhat uneventful. Demetri worked with Bella a little, focusing on keeping her shield on certain people, and Jane settled into a conversation with Heidi and Chelsea about a proper wedding after all this was over. Although no names were used, I knew exactly who they were talking about. Bella's slightly panicked expression made me smile until I shook my head and pointed to Alec and Chelsea.

All the wedding talk got me thinking about all of our relationships. Alec and Chelsea should have been like teenagers in the throws of first love, but they had the comfortable relationship of best friends realizing they belonged together, it was effortless. Bella and I were the teenagers, always touching, always together, lost in our own little world. Heidi and Demetri, on the other hand, had that quiet understanding of a couple married for years but still irrevocably in love. Theirs reminded me of Carlisle and Esme.

We landed in the middle of nowhere, but due the blistering sun had no choice but to wait until nightfall. The darkness wasn't as complete as I would have liked, thanks to the raging full moon.

It was hard to believe nearly a month had passed since the shopping trip, it seemed like only a couple of days. I realized the reason for the apparent skewing of time, my Bella. Every chance I got, I found myself completely drowning in my wife, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. With just a look, she could make the rest of the world disappear; I was hopelessly head over heels, insanely in love with her.

"Felix?" Demetri snickered.

"Huh? What?" I asked, catching myself staring at Bella in the moonlight again, watching the moonbeams shimmer off her alabaster skin.

_God, Felix, focus! _I snapped unwillingly back to reality.

"Yeah. Let's go," I sighed. I grabbed Bella's hand, carefully avoiding looking at her lest I get distracted again, and glided north across the arid wasteland.

Michael was over ninety miles away, and stationary. It wasn't a long run, but my focus kept threatening to drift every time I glimpsed Bella in my peripherals. She obviously noticed, but didn't let it interfere with her shielding.

"Hold up, something's wrong," Demetri stopped on a dime, peering across the horizon. He pulled in a deep breath through his nose, and shifted quickly into a crouch facing the west. I recognized it only a fraction of a second later. I froze in disbelief, anger and a little terror, not for myself but for my Bella.

"Impossible! How can so many even exist? Much less together!" Jane spat.

"Dem?" I hissed.

"Michael's with them, still miles away though," he growled. "That's reason enough to kill him!"

"What do we do?" Alec asked, sinking lower to the ground, ready for Michael to appear.

"Felix? What's wrong?" Bella pleaded.

"Werewolves and at least one incredibly power vampire," I snarled, no longer trying to disguise the malice in my voice. "Chelsea, Heidi, take Bella and run. Go southeast, we'll find you."

"Chels, I love you. Go," Alec begged his wife.

Demetri and Heidi simply shared a longing look and a passionate but swift kiss.

"NO! FELIX!" Bella screamed as they nodded and began dragging her away.

"Bella!" I said urgently. I had to make her understand and only a few seconds to do so. "I love you, but I can't let you be here! It's too dangerous, and I'll be too distracted trying to keep you safe and it could get me killed. So, PLEASE, go! I love you princess," I told her as I quickly kissed her forehead and pushed her back into Heidi and Chelsea's waiting arms.

"Heidi, let me go or I swear I'll kill you myself! I'll rip you limb from limb!" Bella ranted. Bella was getting more and more hysterical.

"Bella, calm down. BELLA! Calm the fuck down! We need to get out of here and then you can threaten us all you want. Felix, Jane, Demetri, and Alec will be FINE! They're the dream team of vamps!" I heard Chelsea say to Bella from a quarter mile away. At least Heidi and Chelsea knew the score.

"Thank you, Bro. I couldn't have sent Heidi away," Demetri whispered and Alec nodded. Even Jane agreed.

No words were needed beyond what I had told Bella. The four of us fully understood the danger headed out way. Our venom was fatally poisonous to werewolves, unfortunately it also worked the other way around. We could easily put ourselves back together after a confrontation with another vampire, but a werewolf bite was a wholly different story. There's no way we could fight like we would need to while worrying about them.

Demetri, Jane, Alec and I turned to the west, assuming attack positions and waited.

"Any second now," Demetri breathed.

Finally, Michael and six werewolves broke the horizon, and the shock that filled my mind clouded everything else. I now knew what it felt like to not be a hundred percent certain I would win the battle. I was right to sent them away, I could only pray I would see Bella again.

**A/N: Again, it's short and I'm so sorry :( Also, those are real werewolves, not the shape-shifters we know and love/hate. In addition, I know I deviated from official canon a little (like I haven't the rest of this story), I had to have something that would scare the piss out of Felix. :) The next chapter is the one you're going to want to read. ;)**


	17. Unprecedented

**A/N: Here's what you're been waiting a whole two days for! ;)**

**Cullensbabymama7, this is for you, you rock, are awesome and all that jazz ;) And thanks so much for your help, girl.**

**Also, I have to give a shout out to GleekLaughiingXDPuckleberry. You're review made me bust out laughing (in a totally good way :) and completely made my day :)**

**Enjoy the fight!**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**Unprecedented**_

The werewolves were running along side Michael, flanking him, blatantly ignoring any instinct to kill him. It amazed me they were all able to work together at all. Something Michael must have told them had made them fear for their survival so much they would turn their backs on their very nature.

My lips curved back over my teeth as a feral growl escaped my throat. We were outnumbered by a much larger margin than I was even remotely comfortable with, half a dozen of those flea bags and the traitor made it seven on four.

Michael was several inches shorter than I was, but almost as wide, with dirty blonde, short hair. He looked like a glorified world-class weight lifter, and worse yet acted like it. He always thought he was the best on the block, but never figured out why he was always on guard duty at the tower instead of the important missions. I might have been cocky, but I deserved every last bit of my reputation. He didn't.

"Alec," I whispered, and gave him a sideways glance. He seemed to be concentrating almost too hard, which immediately made me anxious.

Usually, with barely a thought, Jane would incapacitate the leader, Alec would the kill senses of most of them and Demetri and I would ensure no one could run before Alec's talent kicked in if they even saw us coming to begin with. It was simple and effortless.

A few seconds later, two of the werewolves stopped charging, growling and snapping at anything nearby. All of them should have been affected, but I didn't have the time to think about what the hell was going on, Michael was nearly on top of me.

Jane was unleashing her devastating gift on two of the other werewolves, alternating between them as rapidly as she could, not even allowing them to catch their breath. I noted again how the twins couldn't bring all of our enemies down and the thought was rather disconcerting.

"Dem, kill those four and then come help me. I can't hold them all off for long though."

He nodded, knowing we had to thin the group as quickly as possible. Fighting one werewolf was like fighting myself and then some, not to mention two of them and Michael.

"Watch your back, bro," he said as we bumped fists. I said the same, but then Michael was right there.

He dove and grabbed my calf, trying to remove it. I kicked with my free leg, taking us both to the ground but bringing him down hard. We were on our feet instantaneously, and I threw a backhanded fist, severely cracking his neck, but not enough to get rid of it. I followed a instant later with a vicious right hook, and two kicks to the head. I knew this would be a harsh, brutal fight, and it wouldn't be easy to dismember him. Luckily, I didn't go down easy either, no one had bested me yet.

Just then, one of the werewolves circling me attacked, but I caught him easily and threw him across the landscape. I didn't have the time to take him out and keep Michael from taking advantage. This prompted the other wolf to attack and Michael was on his feet. The werewolf finally stopped skidding across the dirt, getting to its feet with its eyes locked on Jane.

I had less than an instant to make a decision, so fast it was pure instincts. Jane was having to focus too hard on keeping the level on pain of the two werewolves in her grasp to fully stay on top of everything else going on, and I'd be damned if I would let one of them touch her.

I darted into the path of the mongrel headed for my little sister, stupidly and uncharacteristically turning my back on Michael and the other. Before he could move more than a couple of feet, my fist was barreling through his skull, deeply cracking my skin and killing him instantly, something only possible with the strength of an immortal and a powerful one at that.

"FELIX!" Jane screamed in horror, a strange smile, almost a grimace on her lips marring her child-like face. I felt my shirt shred and three razor sharp claws slash across my back. Very few things can hurt us, but that nearly brought me to my knees. I realized Jane had turned all her efforts to that one bastard, pulling it up just short of snapping into my shoulder. She saved me from a guaranteed death sentence and I owed her.

Demetri switched from the two in Alec's grasp to the others Jane recently released. He grabbed one by the scruff of the neck, placing his hand quickly but carefully on the other side of its head, avoiding the teeth, and wrenched so hard I could hear the muscles tear and the bones splinter in protest. Two down, four to go and one extremely angry vampire.

Unfortunately, fighting werewolves was a wholly different affair than killing vampires, they were more easily killed, but we had to be much more careful. The undeniable fact that for some reason, Alec and Jane's gifts didn't seem to carry their full impact on these dogs made things tougher by a staggering degree.

Michael caught up with me and desperately tried to tear my arm away by shoving his foot into my back and heaving. Thankfully, even though he was almost as strong as I was, the keyword there was 'almost'.

I leapt to my feet, pulling my arm all the way around, with Michael still holding it, and smashed him into a rock with as much force as I could muster. The rock broke into thousands of pieces as I picked him up again and threw him at least a quarter mile, felling several of the sparse trees.

Demetri and Alec caught my eye, and the three of us crashed into one of the remaining werewolf who had taken it upon itself to attack Jane in retaliation for her earlier assault. A deafening racket echoed across the desert as the three of us slammed its entire skeleton to fragments. It wasn't dead, yet, but it wasn't going anywhere either. Alec quickly sank his teeth into its arm, poisoning the wolf ensuring its demise, and spit the rather disgusting blood out on the ground. The expression of disbelief on its face was contorted by all the broken bones and the fatal fire now flowing through it's veins.

Jane was deceptively strong for her size. She immediately began wailing on the one that got to me, prolonging the fight more than needed, severely breaking every one of its bone and causing all sorts of bodily injuries that I didn't want to think about. I heard the howl of agony from her blows combined with her gift. She brought the mutt down single-handedly and twisted its head from its shoulders with barely a sign of difficulty, once she finally got her small arms in prime position around its skull and she had nothing else to break. It had to have been an insanely painful way to die, and the bastard deserved it.

"Over half way there," Demetri grumbled, growing tired of the fight already. I knew exactly how he felt and with as wounded as I was, it was the first fight I really wanted to be over sooner rather than later. I wanted nothing more than to curl up with Bella and to make Caius, Aro, and everyone else idiotic enough to stand in my path die in ways they couldn't possibly imagine.

Alec turned his talent on the smallest of the werewolves, causing it to panic with the loss of all its senses. Jane did the same with the last one, sending it writhing to the ground with an ear-splitting yelp. Demetri moved to kill them while I focused solely on Michael. I wanted some answers, and they all knew that, aside from the very obvious fact that I was angry beyond anything they'd ever seen. So answers or not, he was going to be dead by my hand very, very soon.

Demetri was having a very hard time avoiding the teeth and bringing down the one in throws of Alec's deprivation. That kind of total loss would make anyone erratic and lash out, it was beyond disorienting. At least the dogs were so distracted I didn't have to worry about them.

Michael glared at me with a burning hatred the likes of which were mirrored in my own. Not only was my back screaming in pain and I was injured worse than I'd even been, this bastard had somehow managed to team up with the bane of our existence, our only natural enemy. All of those things combined made me more deadly than ever.

He roared in fury when he saw Demetri and Jane tear apart the last of the werewolves then whipped his head around to scan the southeast horizon, sensing something there. He noticed the look of horror and defiance on my face and bolted.

A second later, Bella came over a small hill and I let out the loudest, fiercest and most furious roar I ever had. It wasn't geared toward Bella, never at her. But now, this vile and sorry excuse for a man had my wife, my entire reason for existing, my Bella in his sights.

Michael and Bella tore directly towards each other with a single-minded ferocity. Bella noticed my grimace and used her newborn strength to push herself forward even faster. She knew I was hurt and looked impossibly more enraged than I felt.

I didn't even bother to look back to see if any of my family was hurt as a barreled towards Michael. I heard the others directly behind me, Alec and Demetri no doubt going directly to their wives in an attempt to protect them. They wouldn't have the chance, Michael wouldn't make it that far.

"You evil, sadistic piece of shit!" I heard Bella screech as she glanced at the huge crevasses in my flesh.

"Oh god. Now you've done it Michael! Heaven help you now!" I heard Jane cackle behind me.

I was still several hundred yards away when Michael's face collided with Bella's fist, causing his entire head to nearly shatter and her arm to split open all over from the force. She followed through for nearly a dozen feet and sent him flying straight for me.

"NO ONE TOUCHES MY WIFE, ASSHOLE!" I bellowed. I completely lost it, not even wanting an explanation from the traitor to his own kind anymore. Grabbing his head between my hands, I literally crushed it to dust between them, something I thought was probably impossible. If anything could bring out the full extent of my power, it was him trying to kill my very pissed off wife.

Finally, the searing pain of the scratches on my back and the numerous fissures on my body caught up with me and hit my knees.

"Baby!" Bella cried, flitting to my side, holding me tenderly in her arms. "Oh God, what did they do you to?"

"I'll be alright, sweetheart. My back is killing me though," I sighed.

She gingerly pushed me around to look at my ripped back as I licked the cracks on my hands, forcing them close and heal. I didn't remember vampire venom stinging this much, but there was a lot more now than the one time Demetri bit me. My fists were literally one blow away from shattering.

"Damn, brother! Are you alright?" Demetri gasped as he saw the full extent of my wounds.

"I'll be fine," I snarled, still furious.

"Why the fuck were there Children Of The Moon here?" Jane growled.

"My guess is was Aro's idea, Caius would never allow it," I groaned, pushing myself off the ground.

"Either that, or Caius considered us such a huge threat he did in fact allow it, as long as it was on the other side of the world," Demetri shrugged.

I simply nodded, too many thoughts spinning through my mind to give a more detailed response. I took a deep breath and got my priorities in order.

"Is everyone else okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, aside from some skin damage. It looks like you got the worst of it," Alec answered the question on everyone's mind, rubbing his cracked arm.

"You stupid, over-protective fool," Jane scoffed.

"Jane! The beast was two inches from killing you! You...I couldn't – "

"Sis, any of us would have done the same damn thing. Felix was there first, that's all," Alex said trying to soothe his twin.

"Dem, burn all of that," I said indicating the area I demolished Michael's skull.

"I'm so sorry, Felix. You should have let me stay," Bella sighed.

"Sweetheart," I said, gently putting my hands on either side of her face. "If you were there, I would have been killed. That was the worst fight I've ever been in and I'd be so concerned about you I wouldn't have kept my wits about me. Relax, I'll live," I grinned.

"Speaking of that, what the hell was going on with those mongrels? I couldn't bring them all down as usual," Alec murmured, as if he's lost his touch.

"Not just you! Half of them I couldn't touch either," Jane scoffed.

"Well, we'll never know now," I sighed as I tossed a box of matches to Demetri.

Chelsea looked at me like she thinking something but couldn't figure out the right why to say it. "What Chels?"

"Werewolves don't have gifts like us, do they?" Chelsea spoke up.

"They do, but it's much, much rarer than in our kind," I said, thankful that problem had a reasonable answer. "It makes sense one had an ability similar to Bella, but much weaker, sort of like Afton, but uncontrollable."

I turned Bella's hand over in mine, examining the fissures. I groaned in pain as I reached to wrap my arm around my wife, thanking whatever god there was she was perfectly fine aside from the minor damage that was quickly healing.

"Felix, I'm not comfortable leaving here until I'm positive there's no more of that savage filth. Last thing we need is more Children Of The Moon in the world," Demetri said, reluctantly taking the lead knowing I was in no shape to at the moment. "Bella, take him to Perth and get a hotel. It's a ways to the west but you should make it before dawn. Think you can make it that far, man?" he asked.

I just glared at him. I might be hurt, but I was still able to run at top speed.

"Alright, alright! Point taken! " he said defensively, holding up his hands. "We'll sweep the country and meet you in Perth with the plane. We need to refuel anyway. Here, take my hoodie. It's a little small for you, but slide the sleeves up and you'll be fine. It'll at least cover your back for now, and we'll pick you up some new stuff on our way."

I gratefully took the sweatshirt, rather pleased Demetri had ignored Heidi's remarks about his over-sized hoodies. They work well when our cloaks would be too conscious and he needed a hood.

Bella gently took my upper arm and we started running west.

"Felix, are sure you're alright?" Bella whispered, obviously feeling guilty for not being there sooner, regardless of what I said.

"Babe, really, I'll be fine in a few hours. I've just never been injured this badly in an actual fight," I sighed.

"What about when Demetri tackled you? That time you told me about?"

"That, I deserved, and besides I'd hardly call that a fight," I laughed.

"But Felix, how on earth did you manage to crush that bastard's head?" she asked in awe.

"Bells, as good as you are, if you didn't land that punch, he would have torn your head off in a second. There's no way on this planet I was going to allow him to get the chance, but you beat me to it, so I did the second best thing and annihilated him. Nice hit, by the way," I grinned.

"Thanks, I learned from the best," she smiled sheepishly. If she was human, she'd be scarlet by now. "I saw how much he and his minions hurt you and I had a conniption, I guess."

I burst out laughing, "A conniption? That's an understatement if I ever heard one! And minions? That's classic!"

She was laughing right along with me, and it so natural, so uplifting, it made all my fury at the previous hour disappear, with only my aching back and arms as a reminder.

I accidentally yanked Bella to a stop as I clutched my side, still laughing.

"Yowch! Conniption! Ow!" I noticed a long, deep crack across my ribs. In spite of the pain, I couldn't stop myself from convulsing with the laughter. I had to grab Bella for support, a rarity in vampires, to stay upright I was laughing so hard.

I was laughing from sheer, unadulterated joy. I had my girl by my beside, with rather creative word choices, and I was relieved and amazed all of my family survived the onslaught. I really couldn't stop myself, and I didn't want to. I was on cloud nine, and I refused to come down, at least for a little while.

Bella felt the same, as she carefully took my broken hand began dashing west again, snickering just as hard. The giggle fits lasted until we approached the outer limits of Perth, when we managed to calm ourselves down so we wouldn't look like a couple of psychopaths. At least, we had the excuse of being vampires, not that anyone would ever know.

"Bells, if it's okay with you, I don't want to wait for new clothes. I'm not a fan of the Sooners by a long shot and this hoodie makes me feel dirty," I smirked.

She didn't get my aversion to wearing the shirt, but knew it a sports fan thing. She shrugged it off and we headed to the nearest store at this hour.

"I probably need a new ring too," I chuckled. My platinum band was completely smashed and covered in diamond dust. I only hoped Bella wouldn't be too mad. Something occurred to me then, "Why isn't your ring destroyed?" I looked at the delicate blue diamond and white gold band on her marred hand. It didn't even have a scratch.

"I took it off before I punched him," she laughed. Leave it to Bella to make such a rational move before unleashing on an immortal. I didn't try to count how many times Demetri had to replace his or Jane has shattered various gems she wore. "We'll get another tonight. But for God's sake, take it off before the next fight!"

I quickly found a black and purple pinstriped dress shirt in my size, which was a feat in and of itself. Purple was her favorite color, and it did look rather good on me. She grabbed me a pair of jeans, and I told her that was good for now, until sunset and I could actually get some things more conductive to a world-wide vampire hunt.

I managed to keep my inhuman wounds out of the public eye by moving too quick for anyone to see me, while she put on her gloves. I tossed the shirt to Bella and flew out the doors into the night and around the corner with her right on my heels, but even bothering to pay for the items. It wasn't that I cared, I just tried to keep a certain moral standing and I usually didn't steal anything unless I had to.

Bella spotted a nice hotel and rented the penthouse/honeymoon suite for us, considering we'd be staying indoors a lot. I dashed through the lobby and into the elevator, appearing next to my wife.

The room was massive, almost the size of the one in Dallas. I walked to the bed, closed my eyes and collapsed on it, finally letting all the pain hit me. The stinging of the shoulder-to-waist claw marks on my back, the healing fractures on my hand and forearm and the crack in my side slowly pulling itself together; every bit of it hurt.

"Bells, can you do me a favor?"

"Anything, love," she whispered, instantly on the bed with me.

"Can you run your tongue along the gashes on my back?" I asked, realizing how weird that probably sounded. "It'll help them heal faster."

"Of course, but won't it leave a scar if they're closed that way?"

"It'll scar the same regardless, werewolf claws tend to do that. Stupid mutt," I grumbled.

In an oddly romantic yet caring gesture, she carefully licked the slashes closed, and I quickly felt so much better, though not a hundred percent just yet. She gingerly flipped me over to close one on my side. It would forever be a faint scar, but would always serve as a reminder of who I fought for, my Bella and my family.

"Tiger?" she asked, seeming hesitant to bring something up.

"Yeah, hon?" I replied with a crooked smile.

"Why was that such a brutal fight? You've handed fights more outnumbered and you never even got hit. Why the difference? The werewolves?" She questioned embarrassed, apparently thinking I would state the obvious 'yeah, werewolves' and unintentionally make her feel like an idiot for answering her own question.

"A couple reasons. Yes, the werewolves for one. They're nearly as strong as a newborn, but their strength doesn't wane like a newborn's does, they get stronger over time. So those mongrels were about as strong as I am. Also, they're entirely unpredictable, and ruled by instincts far worse than we are. They're very nearly uncontrollable. Furthermore, I've never, EVER seen them run in packs like that, much less with a vampire," I explained.

"Really? But you still you would have been able to handle all that with the four of you," she assumed, surprised that wasn't the case. "What happened?"

"Heh, Bells, I wasn't done," I grinned. "Werewolf venom is one of only three ways we can be killed that I know of. Well, actually two ways. The third being smashed to dust, you can't put yourself back together from that," I chuckled, thinking about Michael's skull disintegrating under my fingers. "And I'm the one person I've seen actually be able to do that. I guess I am stronger than most newborns," I mused, still grinning. "And I assume I could toss someone in a lava lake."

"You got sidetracked," Bella snickered.

"That tends to happen around you love," I winked at her. "Anyway, fire, obviously, and their venom will kill us too. I don't know how much you saw, but we were very careful to avoid their teeth. It's the only place they have venom, unlike us."

"That makes a hell of a lot more sense now," she thought out loud.

"Bells, I'm the strongest and best fighter in the world. If is was anyone else, even Demetri, he wouldn't have lasted a fraction of the time. But I can still be buried in bodies, and that was like fighting thirteen or fourteen vampires myself."

I tried to suppress a shudder. The thought of how Bella, or myself for that matter, would have reacted to losing the other that way floated across my mind.

"What was that about?" Bella asked peering at me.

_Damnit, she saw that._

"I really am the closest to invincible you can get, Bells," I sighed, praying she wouldn't take this the wrong way. "But, you're my weak point. If someone managed to get to you, I couldn't fight, I couldn't do anything. I'd be begging Dem to kill me, and he would. He's seen Marcus and it would hurt him too bad to see his brother like that."

"Felix, don't you dare," she hissed. Didn't she understand that I refused to live a world without her?

"And you're telling me you wouldn't?" I grinned defiantly. The thought of it was heartbreaking, but I wasn't so naïve to think she didn't feel the same. Neither one of us could survive without the other.

"Touche," she conceded with a smirk after thinking it over for a second.

"That whole debacle was completely unprecedented, not only in my own fourteen hundred years, but in immortal history, as far as I know," I snicked, desperately wanting to change from the macabre turn the conversation had taken. "So if it gets out after all this, we'll be famous!"

"Oh great, just what I wanted," Bella rolled her eyes and giggled.

**A/N: Tell me you can't see that fight play out in your head. :) That was so much fun to write! Felix is such a badass and so is Bella.**

**About the Sooners quip, I am a die-hard Longhorn, so deal with it. :)**

**Thank you guys so much for the support and reviews! They really do make my day! Hugs and kisses!**


	18. The Cold, Hard Truth

**A/N: And here we go again!**

**Cullensbabymama7, thank you so much! You're the best in the world, this is for you and the rest of this story as a matter of fact. :)**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**The Cold, Hard Truth**_

The days were longer here than at our home on the other side of the world. I was almost fully healed by the time the sun set again.

I reluctantly forced myself off the bed, where I had been laying in my boxers since we got to the room. I pulled on my new jeans and shirt, making a note that I needed new boots too; mine were in serious danger of falling apart from the vicious fight. Apparently, I needed a whole new wardrobe.

The shopkeeper at one place we went to was so unnerved by our presence, she forgot to give me my change. I had to laugh at how the mortal world kept turning, completely unaware of the upheaval that was about to occur in ours.

"You know, Felix, you look amazing in black slacks," Bella grinned, eying a pair in the window of an expensive tailor.

"Thanks, Bells. But one, those would be ruined in a few days, given our current lifestyle. And two, I really do prefer jeans or cargos," I winked. "Find me some black cargos and you've got a deal."

"Black jeans?" she asked.

"Oh, hell no! Black jeans are a big no-no!" I laughed. "I can't stand them!"

"Why?" Bella looked hopelessly puzzled.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "They never really look right."

She, of course, managed to find a pair of black cargos. All this, along with a new ring for me and a few other things was the last of our Australian currency.

"Felix, what do we do now?" Bella sighed. That seemed to be the million-dollar question as of late.

"I'm assuming we'll go take care of Sophia, then fly back to the western hemisphere, and finally sweep Africa and Europe," I shrugged. "Of course, it all depends on what Demetri says."

She looked upset and I couldn't figure out why our pending plans would cause such a reaction.

"What's wrong, princess?"

"What if there's something else, something worse than werewolves waiting for us? Why didn't we know about –" she stopped dead, flitted to the dresser to pick up her cellphone, and dialed a number I had no trouble recognizing.

"Damnit, no answer," she growled.

"I'm sure Alice had a really good reason for not calling, Bells. Chill," I smiled, wrapping my arms around her. I was a little more than grateful she dropped the question about what we could be facing soon. I really didn't know, and I wasn't going to lie to her. "Let's go hunting and we'll head back to the plane. I don't really want to wait around for Dem."

She nodded as I quickly sent Demetri a text message explaining what we were doing so he wouldn't panic if we was keeping tabs on us. He'd think something happened and we needed to leave right then, and he would abandon the search.

Bella gently folded all our new clothes, and placed them into her backpack and a new one she had gotten for me. I wasn't used to traveling this heavy, but I also had no idea when I'd need a new shirt, at the rate I was tearing through them lately.

Miles outside of Perth, we found a few emus. They were almost unpalatable, but we managed and I quickly declared non-mammals off-limits for me. Thankfully, we came across a couple kangaroos closer to the plane.

"What?" I asked after draining the large male and dropping it to the ground.

"We actually had kangaroo in Australia! It really doesn't get more stereotypical than that," she snickered, wiping her mouth.

"Well, no one can say we don't have a varied diet," I chuckled. "Let's get to the plane, sun's going to be up in a couple hours."

She took my hand and started running, only to be stopped by my arm. I immediately pushed her behind me as I sank into a crouch. _What now? _I thought bitterly.

"Felix!" The voice was one I hadn't heard in months, but I knew instantly. It was harsh and fierce.

"The hell do you want, Edward? I doubt you came all the way here for chit-chat," I sighed, relaxing my stance.

"I'm so sorry Bella. I couldn't see anything! As soon as you got off the plane, all of you just disappeared! What happened?" Alice apologized, far more than was necessary as she caught up to Edward.

"No harm, no foul," I smiled at the little elfin vampire.

"No harm is a bit of a stretch," Bella snorted. "It's fine Alice."

"Werewolves, six of them and one extremely head-strong vampire," I snarled, still pissed about our run in.

The hatred in Edward's eyes was apparent. He was convinced this was all my fault, and nothing would change that.

"Yeah, you're right," he glared at me.

"Dear God, Edward! None of us expected to even run into a lone werewolf! Much less six! Last I heard there were only two to three in the middle of Siberia and the Volturi are all over that! How the fuck was I supposed to know?" I raised my voice. He had no right to chide me for something so far outside of my control.

"Watch your language," he sneered.

"I'll use any damned language I want!" Not only was he overstepping into my business, he was telling me to quit swearing, and that didn't put him in good standing. "You're far too young to even try to pull that shit with me, boy."

"Bella, you're coming with me," he flew to her side, and grabbed her elbow. "I'll keep you safe."

"Like hell I am!" she spat, fuming nearly as much as I was. If she was mad before, she had just turned into a flaming gas ball of fury.

"Get your hands off my wife!" I demanded, the threat in my voice was obvious. He heeded the warning and dropped her arm. With or without his gift, I would kill him and he knew that.

I wasn't about to back down now, and I highly doubted even Bella could make me. Edward was quickly pushing me past the point of no return. I probably wouldn't have actually hurt him, physically anyway. Emotionally was a different story altogether, and Bella really didn't care if I trashed him, she was so affronted that he would seek me out like this. _You've scarred her too deeply, and no body gets away with hurting my Bells like that!_

"You have NO right to put in that kind of danger!" he yelled.

"NO RIGHT?" I thundered. "Do you have any idea Victoria was hunting for her? After you left?" I hissed as I said her name. Amusingly, he did too, he knew exactly who I was talking about.

"I don't need you to protect me, Edward! I do just fine on my own and if I did need someone, I've got Felix!" Edward flinched when she said my name, bringing me a small tinge of superiority. "He had Heidi and Chelsea drag me away and that still didn't stop me! It was my choice!"

"That's all you did? You know how stubborn she is! Maybe you did want her to come back so you could save your own hide!"

After that comment, I ripped off my shirt, exposing my claw marks on my back. Both Alice and Edward gasped. "This isn't even from protecting her, this is from protecting Jane. And I'd happily kill Jane myself to save Bella! Don't you dare tell me I care more about saving my own ass!"

"She wouldn't have had to fight if you didn't provoke the Volturi! You have to know she hates fighting! She might be able to fight but she's too inexperienced and –"

"And she's amazing and she loves it as much as I do! She's not some dainty little snowflake!" I hissed. I quickly ran through all the times Bella had been such a badass, for his benefit. My confidence in Bella was steadfast, as she gently squeezed my hand letting me know I was right.

"Nevertheless, I would have never condemned her to this life!" he snapped, taking a new angle.

"Condemned?" I knew how he felt, but was still shocked to hear him put it so bluntly in front of her.

"Oh, shove it, Edward! This is what I wanted from the beginning! You were too damned self-righteous to realize it! You want to talk about selfish? Pot meet kettle!" Bella's Hellcat anger quickly morphed into a full-blown lioness. I'd to have a death wish to get in her way now.

"Still! I would never have put you in a position like this, Bella! I love you too much to see you hurt at all!" Edward pleaded, hoping she would see the sincerity behind his reasons. She saw it, all right, but it didn't make a difference.

"Well, you didn't really succeed there, did you? You left me Edward! You left me a shell and Felix fixed everything you did and so much more!" My wife was livid. "He saved me, you didn't!"

I glanced at Alice, pretending to be massively interested in a weed growing out of the ground. The image made me smirk.

"You're not safe with him Bella!" he pleaded for her to understand.

In an atypical move, she cut him right through with her next rant, leaving no doubt as to who she wanted when all was said and done. "There are some things in this world worse than death! Believe me I know!"

"Bella, I need you to stay alive. Leave him behind and stay safe with me," he whispered.

"How dare you even speak to her like that! Did you ever really love her? How broken she was when I found her makes me think not! That was worse than anything the Volturi can throw at us!" He was only grasping at straws now. I assumed his brilliant idea was to incite my ire enough to severely maim him and show Bella exactly what my true nature was. The shadow of intense chagrin and vexation flashed across his face at my assumption, proving me right.

"Well, she's already seen me at my worst!" I shouted, thinking not only of the time I lost it in the alley, but all the people I killed with her right in the mists of it.

"And she's alright with that?" he snorted.

"Better than that, she was right there with me." My mouth pressed into a thin line, and my temper was wearing thin.

His onyx eyes flashed in fury at the image of Bella in my mind and with that I lunged at him. Although it would have normally stopped me in my tracks, I pulled all my willpower to ignore Bella's screaming at me to stop. She was mine, and I'd rip his head off for questioning my intentions, all because he couldn't accept that.

Mind-reader or not, I was too fast and too strong for him. I grabbed him by the throat just as Bella caught up, placing a hand lightly on my arm. I sighed and dropped him, instead of throwing him like I wanted.

What happened next surprised all of us, except Bella. She reared back a punched him square across the jaw with so much force I would have been seeing stars.

"You, knock it off," she glared at him and winked at me. "Edward, get over yourself already. You had your chance, and you blew it. You EVER provoke my husband again, I'll cheerfully let him kill you. More likely, I'll do it myself."

Although I knew he was reading my every thought, I really couldn't help the ego boost Bella just gave me. I never questioned my love for her, or hers for that matter, but it was very nice to have it completely and undeniably confirmed. I quickly returned to the arrogant bastard I was known for, with a self-satisfied smirk on my lips.

"If you were half the man I am, you'd be ecstatic she's happy! Regardless of what it means for you!" I growled, trying very hard to control my actions again.

"You have no idea what you're talking about. You're not as good as you think you are."

"I'm exactly as good as I think I am. You come at me with the same intentions again, I will end you," I promised in a lethally low voice.

Bella snorted and smirked, showing him I would live up to that, and more over, she fully agreed. I think the final blow was when she wrapped her arms around my shoulders to pull herself up and kiss my cheek. I didn't think she was intending to be cruel, but I had to admit, if our situations were reversed, I wouldn't be able to keep from dispatching him to the afterlife.

"Just let me go, Edward," Bella sighed, exasperated and cold.

I immediately knew he'd heard that line before, although I didn't have a clue in what context. The look of pain and rejection on his face was nothing less than he deserved. He picked himself up, shot a glare at me, and took off into the desert to brood some more.

Alice was left standing there, looking a bit awkward.

"Well, now that that's done, I wanted to tell you the rest of us are with you all the way, or probably will be once they hear about the werewolves," she said.

"Probably?" Bella questioned.

"Well, you know Emmett, he's always up for a fight regardless of the odds. Rosalie is trying to persuade him otherwise, but it's futile. In the end, she'll follow Emmett Jasper is all in, too. Carlisle really doesn't want to anger the Aro, understandably. And Esme...well, Esme's Esme. She doesn't want her family at risk." Alice explained.

"That's the last thing I wanted," I groaned, thinking about causing a rift in a family as tight as the Cullens.

"Don't worry about it, we'll deal. Bella, I'm sorry about him, he's really getting to everyone. Even Carlisle's getting sick of it. Edward knows beyond a shadow of a doubt there's no where you rather be, and he'll have to make do with that."

"And what about you?" Bella asked, trying to figure out where Alice stood.

"I love my brother, but I agree with you. He blew it, and sometimes you don't get the chance to fix it. I told him that when he left, and he didn't listen. You know better than to bet against me," she laughed, trying to release some of the lingering tension. "I think it's partly, a very minor part but still, that Tanya's chasing him again."

"Thanks Alice. You're awesome. I'm sorry about all that. I've got a bit of a temper," I smirked.

"He knew it would piss both of you off if he came, but refused to stay home," she shrugged. "And nice hit, Bella!"

"I've been hearing that a lot," Bella said sheepishly, but still grinning.

"I'll call you guys after I talk to the rest and see what we can feasibly do. Emmett will be pissed he missed that fight." Alice's tinkling laugh echoed off the nearby rocks.

Bella and I gave her a hug, and we went our separate ways.

"Well aren't you the smug type today?" she grinned devilishly at me.

"My give-a-damn's busted," I smirked, all my smugness than she wanted only me bled through, despite my best efforts to contain it. "I do hate that you're in the middle of all this Volturi shit, but it's where you want to be. And who am I to deny you anything you want?"

"Where I want to be is at your side, no matter where that is," she laughed. "But, you did jump him while I was telling you not to."

"True, but I couldn't stop myself. I'm sorry, but I really hate him now," I replied. "Why did you tell me to stop?" That had been bothering since it happened.

"I wanted to hit him," she shrugged, like it should have been obvious.

"My little Hellcat," I chuckled, tousling her hair. "Come on, let's go."

Bella kept getting closer and closer to me while we ran, nearly tripping me twice until I finally shrugged off my backpack to carry in my hand and she climbed on my back. It was such a simple gesture, but it was one of the things that was ours and ours alone.

As I ran with Bella, my thoughts drifted to how much I had changed since I met her. There might have been a time part of me would have briefly wondered if she would be better off with Edward. My lifestyle wasn't exactly peaceful most of the time. Now, however, that small doubt didn't ever register anymore, not even when he was begging her to come with him, I never had the uncertainty that she would stay.

Bella's comment about some things being worse than death was so true, God himself couldn't deny it. I'd seen the aftermath of losing a mate so many times, and anyone would pray for the end, or bring it on themselves, than experience that kind of pain. I was appalled he would willing inflict even a fraction of that on a human, and more so on Bella. It didn't matter to me if he knew it would affect her like that, but I hoped not, for his sake. If I ever found out differently, he would be an ash pile by sunset. He had always underestimated her, and it very nearly destroyed her.

The jet we had was one of those CEO affairs, complete with a bar, sitting area with a huge TV and all the amenities of home. Bella and I took full advantage of the alone time and immediately hit the bedroom.

"Damn, you two can't keep your hands off each other!" Demetri laughed as he boarded the plane. I hadn't even noticed him. It was quite the feat for Bella to distract me from that, considering he wasn't being unnecessarily quiet.

I quickly rushed out of the room, still pulling my shirt over my head. Demetri raised an eyebrow while Jane was suppressing a snicker. I could hear Bella was completely hysterical.

"What?" I was baffled, and it showed.

"Pants, Felix, pants," Alec busted out laughing.

"Damnit!" I said darting back to throw on my jeans. The laughter just increased with my remark.

"Thanks so much for telling me Bella," I chuckled.

"I didn't get a chance to and it was pretty funny. Come here Tiger!" she playfully growled, pushing me back to the bed.

"I guess next move is my call," Demetri snickered.

Bella and I got so wrapped up in each other, the murmurs of the others were nearly unnoticeable.

When we finally emerged, Demetri looked annoyed. Heidi and Chelsea were in full wedding-planning mode again.

"What's up, Dem?"

"Well, Sophia finally settled in New Delhi, but the rest have suddenly decided to be on the move," he sighed.

"Where are they all going?"

"That's the problem, I have no idea. I talked to Alice and she doesn't know either, they're changing their minds too quickly. Someone told them to behave like that, just wander aimlessly."

"Shit," I sighed, staring at the ceiling as the plane taxied on the small runaway.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Demetri and I were one step ahead, as usual. Actually, it wouldn't really be a one of our classic 'what do we do now' moments if we weren't the first to catch on.

"That's a game changer, Dem."

"Guys, you two really have to stop doing that," Heidi huffed.

"Caius is thinking that will keep Dem from tracking them. And they're right, we can't catch up if we don't have a clue where they're going. We can only go on best guess, and we can't afford to waste that much time," I said, more than a little perturbed.

"Wait, what?" Demetri asked, bewildered.

"Huh?" My head snapped towards him. It was rarely a good thing when we didn't agree on something like this. It usually meant we were both right to a degree.

"You could be correct, and I really hope you are," he clarified. "But if Aro somehow found out about Alice's precognition, he'd want her bad. That puts all of the Cullens in danger."

"Not to be a bitch or anything, but why does it matter?" Chelsea asked. She really didn't mean anything by it, she just wanted her family to be safe.

"It's cool, Chels, I get it. But I'm not going to let them go down for anything that could remotely be my fault. I guarantee, if they found about her, they found out because of us, somehow. You all knew the score when you left, even you Jane," I added after I caught her insolent glare. "They didn't."

"Honestly, I think Felix is right. The Cullens tend to play their hand close to the vest, and I don't think anyone outside us and the Denali clan know about her," Bella spoke up.

"Thanks Bells," I grinned. "Either way, they've got know we're hunting the Guard. I think we need to make our move and make it soon before they have the chance to fill our vacancies."

"Agreed," Alec nodded. "So am I flying to Italy, India or where?"

"Sophia's still in New Delhi," Demetri informed, leaving the choice up to me.

"Leave her. She hasn't got anything special," I decided as Jane raised an eyebrow. "Well, nothing she can use against us anyway. Alec, head back to Dallas."

We were all completely silent the rest of the way home, except for Alec's chatter to air control. Everyone stood around our cars we left the airport weeks ago, thinking how we were about to attempt what was generally considered impossible, while Bella and I took care of the paperwork from the plane.

"Listen up, guys," I said as I stood on the edge of the loose circle. "This is going to be brutal. You all need to know there more than a good chance what we're about to do is likely to get us all killed. The alternative is to run and keep running. This isn't one of those 'one for all and all for one' things. If you want to walk away, now is the time to do it. If not, I'll see you at my place at midnight."

I tossed the keys to the Shelby to Demetri, as Bella and I slid into the Audi. I gingerly kissed her hand and sped off to our one safe haven.

**A/N: Yeah, I got a little problem with some of the crap Edward pulled in canon, so don't flame me about it, I had to get all that frustrated kitten anger out somehow and suddenly this was the perfect time. Honestly, the big difference is Bella's not as forgiving here. Plus, all you women know, we will throw a punch if you piss us off enough ;)**

**Thanks for reading! I'm diggin all the reviews, favorites, and story alerts!**


	19. Three Weddings

**A/N: Hey guys, here's the next one. Sorry it took a bit longer, but I've been dealing with my idiotic insurance company, the rental car company, and the body shop along with having to drive about 300 miles in the past two days to sort it all out. Thank God it wasn't my fault at least.**

**Anyway, Cullensbabymama7, you rock, as you know. :) I seriously owe you a big one. Want my firstborn? Haha :) **

**GleekLaughingXDPuckleBerry and ShelbyBells, you guys make me so damn happy.**

**Notyourlove, thank you so much for the huge smile your review gave me :)**

**You all really keep me going when I just want to say 'the hell with it'!**

**Enjoy!**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**Three Weddings...**_

Demetri and Heidi followed us home. Demetri said he was with me all the way months ago, and I was never more thankful for our close friendship.

I was antsy, wondering if Alec, Chelsea and Jane would show up. For some reason, the coping mechanism for stress in our kind, perfect inhuman stillness, just wasn't helping. It didn't even feel natural right then.

Demetri was snooping around in the kitchen, creating a huge meal that I'm sure would have smelled great to a human, but the stench in my house was beyond annoying.

"Leave it to you to develop the most useless hobby for vampires," I chuckled.

"Speak for yourself, flower boy," he smirked, tossing all the food onto platters to take to the neighbors, the very people I desperately wanted to avoid.

Sick of sitting on at the dinning room table, I kissed Bella's forehead and told her I'd be right back. Less than a minute later, I rushed back through the backdoor, dropped an armful of greenery and flowers from the back yard on the table, and starting fiddling with them.

Strangely my mind flickered to Rosalie, and how such an uptight girly-girl could pick up an uncanny knack for working on cars. Heidi had developed an intense interest in astronomy and theoretical physics. I guess we all had our quarks and I wondered what Bella's would be. A second later it occurred to me that I already knew.

"Huh," I murmured to myself.

"What's up?" Demetri asked, smirking at my floral handiwork.

"Just thinking about how some of us pick up weird hobbies. Things we didn't really have a interest in while human. Like that whole mess," I grinned, looking pointedly at the roast he was plating.

"Interesting. I would mop the floor with Bobby Flay though," Demetri cracked up laughing, a bit too confident in his own culinary abilities.

"According to Alice, Bella was never really a violent person in her previous life, one hell of a temper, sure, but not the kind to lash out. Now, she's absolutely lethal and loves a good fight," I mused.

"Hey! I'm not running around busting heads or anything! It's not like I want to kill everyone I come across," Bella scoffed.

"Relax, Bells. You're not a bloodthirsty monster." Both Bella and Demetri raised an eyebrow, waiting for my to catch the irony. "Well, actually, you are vampire after all, so technically yeah, but that's beside the point," I laughed and winked at her. "You know what I mean. You're a lot like me in the aspect."

"Yeah, I can see that. She's an incredibly fast learner and her battle reflexes are as good as ours. It took us years to hone that," he mused.

"Hey, Bella? Can you and Heidi run that over to the neighbors before I'm tempted to set the kitchen on fire?" I asked, wrinkling my nose.

The out-of-season gardenias had somehow managed to stay alive through the last month and a half unattended. The dark red roses I had for Bella were scattered around the house in vases that I wouldn't let a sure-footed human near. Between the flowers and cool night air, the food stench was finally dissipating.

"It's been hours. I thought they would come," I sighed, upset that Jane, Alec and Chelsea had failed to make an appearance.

"Bro, relax. It's only ten o' clock and they're on the way," Demetri smirked.

"Where are they?"

"Three...Two... One..." Demetri then pointed at the door as Alec and Chelsea strolled in, looking far more giddy than anyone had a right to. Jane rolling her eyes at the couple.

"Heya guys!" Chelsea said, bounding over to hug me.

"Why are you so happy?" I asked puzzled.

"Well, considering the impossible task we're about to be all over, I decided I want to have my wedding and soon. Like a couple of days soon," Chelsea smiled.

I couldn't help but grin, and if I was honest with myself, I wanted one too. As did Heidi.

"Why don't we all have a wedding and then go to Volterra?"

"Yes!" Heidi squealed.

"We could get Eleazar to officiate, and do it in Alaska," Demetri suggested.

"I want to do it here, but what about having yours at the lodge? It's Heidi's favorite place," I grinned. "Plus, we can't blow Eleazar's cover. Emmett or Jasper can. Or if not, I'll do yours and Alec's and you can do mine."

"That's perfect!" Heidi smiled, grabbing Bella, Chelsea and Jane to iron out the details.

Amidst all the flower-arranging and cooking earlier, Alice called to tell us the Cullen family's verdict. It wasn't as good as I hoped, but could have been much worse.

Emmett said there was no way on earth he was going to miss the most epic fight in immortal history. I didn't expect anything less from my friend. Rosalie, of course was with Emmett, although she wasn't nearly as thrilled. Jasper and Alice had committed too.

Alice informed me they hadn't actually told Carlisle they were going to fight, by he figured it out easily enough. He decided to come as well, with Esme, to let me fill him in on everything, then he would declare himself or not. I had to admire his rationality.

After our little scrape with Edward, he disappeared. Alice thought he was somewhere in Brazil, which was confirmed by Demetri. He wanted nothing to do with me, but wanted to protect Bella. Two things that were incompatible.

Most were in route here, Carlisle and Esme would catch up later, and we'd figure out exactly how we were going to tear down the Volturi. Jasper's military mind-set would definitely help, in addition to my own and Demetri's.

The next day, Alice knocked on the door, carrying three wedding dresses, tailored suits, bridesmaid dresses and a ton of other wedding related things. Heidi and Chelsea nearly exploded with excitement from gaining Bella's permission to do our wedding, provided they kept it simple.

I laughed when she said that, know how much a long shot that was.

"Dem, I think your wife just found a new way to kill a vampire: death by primping," I laughed.

"Oh, stop, Felix. You look amazing!" Heidi smirked. "Black really is one of the best colors on you."

"Man, you think you have it bad? I'll have Jane doing the same in a couple days," he scoffed.

Chelsea and Jane found a nearly abandoned country lane, with huge oak, willow, and pecan trees shading it on both sides. It was beautiful at night, and we decided to be married formally there.

Amazingly, the girls kept Bella out of sight until she walked down the very short aisle. And she was beautiful. No, more than beautiful, words could not even begin to describe her. Aphrodite had nothing on my Bella.

Her lush brown hair was pulled half up, with intricate braids and soft curls piled on top. She only wore a tiny bit of lip gloss for make-up and with her perfect immortal face, less really was more. Her dress...my God. It was the most beautiful dress I'd ever seen. It was ivory, just a couple shades darker than her skin, very short sleeved, with a cowl neck and a row of buttons down the back with a veil to match; very simple and elegant.

Demetri was my best man, of course, and Jane as Bella's maid of honor. She couldn't decide, and in the end basically decided to flip a coin.

"Friends, family, we are gathered here, in the dead of night," Emmett started. Alec and Jane snorted, trying to keep from laughing. I immediately knew why Bella insisted on Emmett officiating, and honestly, it was just my style too.

Heidi and Rosalie shot he a glare to make him behave, but Emmett wasn't about to let that spoil his fun.

"To join Felix and Bella in matrimony, although it's more like a do-over since they've already done this once," he continued, receiving a smirk from Bella.

"Do you, Bella, promise to love and to cherish Felix and put up with his gardening for eternity?"

"I do," she snickered.

"Do you, Felix, promise to love and to cherish Bella, ignore all the over-protective bullshit, and be there to catch her when she trips over her own feet until the sun explodes and fries us all?"

"Yeah, I do," I grinned. Bella look as though she would be blushing if she could.

"You may kiss the non-blushing bride, but try not to get it on, for our sakes."

I kissed Bella with every bit of the love I had for her. I apparently ignored Emmett's plea, because it only ended when Demetri coughed.

It was perfect. Short and sweet, like Bella wanted. Although Emmett was banned from performing any of the others.

Alec and Chelsea decided to have theirs among the rose bushes in our back yard, and I wouldn't have had a problem if not for the nosy neighbors.

"Hello, Mr. Skylar," Officer Brown said, using his official tone. I suddenly had an intense hatred for every policeman, sheriff, state trooper and constable in this town. The crime rate must have been incredibly low to justify harassing the new people out of boredom.

"Oh! You're in trouble now Felix," Demetri snickered below human hearing range.

"What's up?" I forced my tone to be nonchalant, although I knew I was about to get bombarded with twenty questions.

"Do you mind explaining what you were doing last night? Chris said it sounded like a party," Brown asked, obviously trying to give me a hard time.

"Alec and Chelsea got married," I shrugged. I couldn't just lie since Chris had seen the whole thing and had no doubt told him everything.

"At midnight?" His tone was skeptical. "And aren't they a little young?"

"It's their favorite time of day. And they can with parental permission, which they have." I heard Alec and Jane stifle a laugh at that. "Not helping guys," I groaned so fast, it sounded like a sigh to the man.

"Sounds reasonable I guess," he huffed. "Steven tells me you were out of town for several weeks?"

"Yeah, we all took an extended vacation," Bella smiled.

"And killed some vampires and werewolves and –"

"Alec, Shut. Up." I growled quietly.

After some more probing questions and several completely irrelevant ones, he left. I could tell the Officer wasn't too happy with our answers, but he couldn't do a thing about it, except warn me he would be watching.

The last night in our house for the foreseeable future, one of the worst thunderstorms in North Texas history barreled through. Bella and I were sparring in the back yard after I replaced the wooden fence with a twelve foot stone monstrosity due to the wedding incident. Basically, just like nothing was different, except for Emmett and Jasper watching us from the sunroom.

"Felix?" Her tone was completely out of place in the mists of our training session.

"Yeah, sweetheart?" I dropped down and swung my leg under her, knocking her on her back. Bella lithely did a back roll up onto her feet again. "Nice recovery."

"Are you scared?" she asked, throwing a punch as I blocked.

I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts. I wouldn't lie to her, although I wasn't above sugarcoating a bit. I let out a long, deep breath as I chose to go with pure honesty. She took the opening, kicking me to the ground and kissing my neck.

"I win," she giggled.

"I'm terrified," I murmured. We continued sparring, both of us dodging or parrying most of the blows. "I can't lose you, Bells. And there's a very good chance I will. I'm going to do my damnest to protect you, but I can't promise anything." I decided not to downplay the dangers this time.

"I'm right there with you baby."

Bella side-stepped around me, and I hooked my arm around her in a move that would normally turn into a decapitation. "You've got to watch that, Bells."

"Do it again. Show me what you did and how to avoid it."

I held up my hand, signaling her to stop for a minute. It was a lot easier to talk about a heavy subject without trying to dance around her.

"You don't seem terrified."

"Well, there's not a damn thing left to do to try and change it now, so I won't let it get to me. But that doesn't mean it's not there. I knew after we killed Corin, I was in this until the end, and by extension, you too. Not that I would back out if I could, but it's simply not possible now."

"I know what you mean," she said, staring at the raging storm. "But what changed? You're much more calm about it than I would have guessed."

"Nothing, really. It just became more apparent after everything in Australia unlike _some_ people, I know beyond a doubt that what is best for you and what you want was one in the same. And if that means you and me against the world, so be it. And that's exactly what going up against the Volturi is like."

"I really hate the Volturi," she sneered, crouching to pounce at me.

I easily blocked her attack, pulling her into my chest, stopping the training session again.

"Me too, now anyways. The bad part about it is the _idea_ of the Volturi is actually something our world needs and it's still a mission I believe in. Most of us don't need the threat over our head to make us behave, but a few troublemakers can really make a mess of things. I can't began to guess what would happen if a policing force wasn't there. Every society needs rules. And that worries me."

"Why?" Bella asked as she tried push me back into the massive oak tree. Faster than a heartbeat, I spun, took her hand, and bounded up through the branches tossing about in the wind. I settled onto a thick limb and she snuggled into my side.

"The Romanians have been waiting for the Volturi to fall for a millennium, as have the Egyptians although they're much more covert about it. Before I was even created, there was a huge three-way power struggle, and they'll jump at the chance to seize power. The catch is though, both of them are hardly suited to rule. The Volturi actually does a pretty good job when egos don't get in the way, and Caius is the main problem there."

"I still don't get what Caius' deal is."

"You know how we tend to carry over our strongest traits? Well, Caius was a brutal warlord in ancient Greece in his mortal life. He's got the worst power-hungry bloodlust I've even seen, and that's saying something. He thrives on violence and uses the law to bring it about."

"He sounds like a real piece of work," she said.

"Hey you two," Jasper grinned, taking a seat on the branch opposite of us. "Sorry if I'm intruding, but I want to know what I'm up against if everything I thought about the Volturi is wrong, and it sounds like it is. Plus I'm getting a really complicated vibe off y'all."

"They all are," I laughed, responding to Bella as I nodded a hello to Jasper. "You should have seen them after a trial, especially Caius and Aro. They'd stand around and congratulate themselves on being masters of the universe."

"What about Marcus? Every time I've heard you mention them, you're referring to Caius, usually the latter," Emmett asked, climbing the tree.

It was a bit odd having a calm conversation with mother nature in a frenzy around us, and the thought sidetracked me momentarily.

"Marcus? Honestly, I'm not the least bit worried about him. He's so apathetic, it's crippling. I'd be floored if he even put up a fight."

"And Aro?" Jasper asked, probably sensing the brief flame of mercy as I thought of killing Marcus and putting him out of his misery.

"Aro will surprise you. He's deceptively calm, cool and collected. And not rash by any stretch of the imagination. But he's just as brutal as Caius, in his own way. He's never more dangerous than when he's being gracious. He will not allow us to survive," I warned them. "Few people know Aro's true nature, and I only ignored it for so because I believed we were doing more good than harm."

"You're right on that account," Jasper nodded. "The south would have turned to total chaos if the Volturi hadn't stepped in. And the immortal children. That was long before my time, though. I still don't like thinking of them as the bad guys."

"Not mine. I was there for both of them," I said gravely. "Most don't fear the Volturi, in the sense of the populace fearing some dictatorship, but they have a very healthy respect."

"What are immortal children?" Bella was hopelessly confused. I would have thought the term said it all. It was adorable she could pick up the most obscure train of logic, but something so blatantly obvious, she didn't get at first. I also had to remember she was still so young and hadn't had the time to learn most of our history.

"Almost a thousand years ago, some moron decided, for whatever reason, to turn a small child into an vampire. They couldn't be taught or controlled. And the temper tantrums they would throw could wipe a village off the map. It was like a preschool kid running on rocket fuel, but a million times worse," I shuddered, remembering that time. "The children were so lovable and precious, many of the oldest of our kind at the time died defending them from us, from the Volturi."

"Wow. Th- that's horrid...disturbing. Oh my God," Bella whispered, a look of disgust and revulsion contorting her features.

"Horrid and disturbing is putting it mildly," I said, echoing her tone. "I'll never get over how much I detest those who created them for forcing me into a position when we had to act. It still haunts me and I'll never forgive myself for destroying those kids, regardless of how necessary it was." I suppressed a shudder as Bella took my hand, rubbing it comfortingly.

"Sorry, Felix. I didn't know," Jasper whispered. He knew better than anyone in that moment how that had affected me.

"Those are two great examples of why we really do need someone to create and keep the law. I fully understand that," I said in a more conversational voice, pushing the memories from my mind and returning to the less despondent topic. "But with the Ancients in control, It's almost like communism in a way, it works in theory but it could never be in reality. They're far too corrupt with their own agendas."

"Still, the Volturi being the ruling party is better than the most likely alternative," Jasper smirked.

"Tell me about it!" I scoffed, then snickered. "The Romanians would be awful!"

"You think Amun would?" he replied.

"Maybe, but I don't think so. At least not right away," I said confidently. "He never really wanted to rule like the rest of his clan did, he abandoned them at the first sign of trouble. But that doesn't mean he doesn't want it if it's up for grabs."

"That's an awfully big power void to fill," Bella sighed.

"Yeah," I agreed and let it drop. I wasn't big on speculation when I didn't even know if I would be around to see that power struggle. Taking all this in stride was the only way I could deal with the cosmic injustice of waiting so long to find the love of my existence, only to have it be a hair away from ending.

After it was clear the conversation was finished, Jasper jumped down to wrestle with Emmett for a bit. Bella and I continued to sit in the swaying tree, watching the storm around us.

All eleven of us were at the familiar lodge in the arctic by midnight the next night, for Demetri and Heidi's umpteenth wedding, and the dire need to get at least a rough strategy together. We all kicked around some suggestions, but they were all far from ideal and some totally impossible.

Their marriage ceremony was the most lavish of all by far, but it's what they both wanted and who was I to complain. The sky was clear, and between the brilliant stars and the aurora, it was a beautiful night.

I had to admit, Demetri wore his dark grey suit well, and Heidi, of course, was drop-dead gorgeous. She still had nothing on Bella in her black sheath dress she wore at this place so many months ago, but I was biased.

Afterward, Alec and Chelsea decided to go hunting, and probably a little more. Even in a large house, eleven people made it crowded, and considering we all had supernatural hearing, privacy was nonexistent. Chelsea was the most modest of us. When the rest of didn't care what the others happened to hear, Chelsea wasn't always so apathetic. I couldn't fault the newlyweds for wanting some alone time.

"They should have been back by now," Jane frowned. The twins' bond was nearly as strong as mates, like twins in human siblings, but amplified a thousand fold. Most of the time, they were inseparable, but when they fought you damn well better stay clear.

I guessed that was how they developed their phenomenal battle skills. You can learn good self-defense sparring, but great self-defense, you get that from fighting with your family. Demetri knew that all too well; we almost always ended in a stalemate, otherwise I won.

"Relax, Jane," Heidi said from her spot on Demetri's lap. "It hasn't even been a full day yet and you know how Chelsea is with Alec."

Bella was leaning against me, her back to my chest with my arms resting casually across her collarbone, as we sat on the large rug watching The Proposal. I had to admit, I liked romantic comedies a lot more since I found Bella.

Jane sighed and stalked off to her room to sulk for a while about being bored.

Although I hated him, Edward was actually good for Jane last time we were here. Being the only two who weren't mated, they hung out a lot. Nothing romantic of course, and I would kill him if he tried, but a definite camaraderie. It used to be me and her, but then Bella showed up. Our friendship was still as solid as ever, but we didn't do things as often. Thankfully, she loved Bella, so she didn't mind that hanging out with both of us. We were sort of a package deal now.

"NO!" I heard Alice gasp from one of the upstairs rooms.

I should have caught on when Bella stiffened in my arms, but I didn't realize the meaning behind her reaction until Emmett ran to window, looking for any sign of trouble. I was on my feet in a fraction of a second, pulling Bella up with me and jumped up the stairs in a single bound. I whipped around the corner so fast my shoulder clipped the wall, smashing the wood paneling to splinters.

Alice didn't even have to say anything. I didn't give her the time, she I knew wouldn't, and she pointed through the hole in the outside wall that I had failed to fix ages ago.

I sped through the room and out of the gap with Bella, Jasper and Alice only feet behind me. Everyone else were a few yards behind them.

I quickly caught Alec's scent and tore after it, Bella and I pulling nearly two hundred yards ahead of the others in a matter of seconds, the distance was growing. We were simply faster than the others.

I scaled a massive iceberg with Bella right beside me, scanning across the ice as I launched off it, furthering our lead. I took her hand, pulling her even faster. Alec and Chelsea were still nowhere to be seen.

"East!" Demetri yelled behind me, and I turned on a dime. I knew I should have let him lead, but I was far ahead and not about to slow down.

I finally spotted Alec and Chelsea, crouched slightly, and clearly arguing with Harper, Darcy and Aiden, some of the more transitional members of the Guard. They had obviously been sent with a message and Alec wasn't taking it well.

Almost a second after I saw them, Darcy's head snapped up to glare at me the moment he heard us.

Alec and Chelsea turned at the same time, and I could see exactly what was going down. I was pushing myself the hardest I ever had in my very long life and I knew I wasn't fast enough.

Alec and Chelsea were on their own.

**A/N: Gotta love those cliffhangers. :)**

**Quick note about the weddings: I didn't write just a ton on them, weddings tend to make me bitter (you can thank my ex for that). So I do apologize.**

**Also, about the cops showing up, try living in a tiny town, looking a little different (in my case quite a few very visible tats, etc.) and do something that's a bit odd, and see if they don't give you shit. All that stuff is actually based on crap that's happened to me. (Thanks to my super-nosy neighbors.)**

**Anyways, I'd diggin all the reviews and such, so thank you. It always makes me smile and want to start writing ASAP.**

**Speaking of that, I've gotten a couple messages about if I update on a schedule or something. I don't. I write the chapter, edit it and post it, usually in the predawn hours (It's almost 2:30am right now). So longer chapters take more time. I'll try not to keep you waiting too long though.**


	20. And A Funeral Pyre

**A/N: Hey guys! Good God, already at chapter 20! Another shorter chapter, but it didn't feel right to add much to this one.**

**Cullensbabymama7, (thanks so much for letting me bounce ideas off you. You're a lifesaver), GleekLaughingXDPuckleBerry, and notyourlove, I owe you big time, every time I got close to changing something because it was easier to write for, I would reread your reviews and Pms and realized I couldn't let you down. Thanks a million :)**

**Enjoy!**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**And A Funeral Pyre**_

The mind-numbing fear ripped through me as I willed my body to move quicker. It wouldn't respond. For the first time in all my years, it was an effort to keep running. I wanted to freeze, to have my reaction be the instinctual one for our kind. I couldn't seem to do that either. I had never felt more helpless.

I knew Alec and Chelsea were two foes not to be taken lightly, but Chelsea was nowhere near as experienced as Alec, due to her staying in the background most of the time. Alec wasn't used to protecting someone so vehemently, and I knew that could be an issue. He wouldn't let them get near his mate if he could help it.

Regardless, it would be over in seconds; Alec would desensitize them all, or they would tear Alec apart before he could. Either way, I was absolutely powerless to affect the outcome, I was still too far.

Several things happened at same instant, just after they all looked at me. Aiden pulled something out of his pocket, Chelsea turned to grab Alec and bolt my way and Harper prepared to spring.

Faster than Alec could react, Harper pounced and bit straight through Chelsea's neck. Aiden dropped what I now realized was a butane lighter on her, setting Chelsea on fire and effectively killing her in less time than I could run half the distance. Alec roared in fury, throwing himself at Harper, blinded by his rage.

For the briefest of moments, time stood still. I couldn't force my mind to catch up, and more over I didn't want to because it meant facing the reality of what I had just witnessed. It seemed like in the next fraction of a second my entire arm was crashing through Aiden's face, and kicking him into another fire I quickly set. He wasn't worthy to burn with Chelsea.

Darcy was on the ground, thanks to Jane. She had breached the horizon, but her screams were lost in the din of all the others. Bella was wailing on Harper beside Alec, ripping him to shreds with nothing but pure hatred in both of their eyes.

I slammed my foot down on Darcy's stomach, not enough to incapacitate him fully, but enough that I knew it hurt like hell. He had lost his chance to turn tail and run, even though he didn't attack Chelsea or set the fire, he was still there, guilty by association. Not that I would have let him anyway.

Jane halted her attack, as I leaned over him, seething with an anger he couldn't hope to understand. There was nothing we could do for Chelsea now, except try and bring down the Volturi for good, and I'd be damned if he wasn't going to tell me everything.

"I'm only going to ask you this once, who sent you?" My tone was cold and deadly, like the ominous calm before a storm.

"Caius," he sneered.

"Does Aro know about this?" I demanded.

The others were skidding to a stop, wearing mangled expressions of hate, fury, disbelief, grief and every other bad emotion. Jasper was too shocked himself to help out much at the moment, and I wouldn't want him to. Emmett and Jasper crashed into Alec, holding him in place and Bella shielding them so Alec couldn't get away just yet.

Jasper gave me a significant glance meaning he was working his magic on Alec as best he could. It was obvious he wasn't able to quell the wrath Alec felt, but it was enough to keep him from fighting to free himself for the moment.

Alec's face was nearly unrecognizable, conveying the total devastation and pain raging inside him. His eyes chilled me to the core, though. They were completely empty and dead.

My mind unwillingly conjured an image of Bella ripped to pieces and burning. It felt like my heart had been torn from my chest and was sinking to the bottom of the ocean. I shuddered violently, knowing I would look exactly like Alec, being in the same excruciating agony that nothing but my own death could soften. If she died during this, I would just give up, let myself be defeated because there's no coping with that kind of pain.

I quickly pulled myself together, forcing myself to feel only the immeasurable rage. I was going to get my damned answers.

"I will throw you Jane," I said when he didn't answer fast enough.

"Yes," he breathed, glaring at me so hard that it would have made me instinctively flinch if I was so far beyond angry.

"And?" I was sick of his one word answers already. He knew he was a dead man, the only thing was if it would be quick or slow. "She'll keep you in agony for years. So spill it."

"Aro knows about it, but he's not happy. Caius is refusing to back down, wanting to end this as soon as possible, but Aro didn't want to take you on until absolutely necessary. So Caius is calling the shots behind Aro's back as much as possible."

"Keep going," I probed. He knew every rumor, every whisper that went through the tower. He had a uncanny ability for just knowing what the hot news was. It was somewhat helpful; the Volturi could head off a situation if there was enough buzz about it. He knew what was happening inside the walls of Volterra almost as well as Aro.

"Aro didn't order it, or suggest it as far as I know, but he was hoping the werewolves would have finished you off or thinned your numbers. Caius was furious, even though Aro didn't know about the the dogs until it was too late to do anything. Michael did that on his own."

"Now we're getting somewhere. What about Corin? And sending most of the Guard all over the world? I cannot begin to fathom what Caius is thinking."

"That's the problem, he's not thinking," Darcy groaned, still underneath my foot. "He thought you split up, so he wanted to catch you all off guard and eliminate you quickly. But with no tracker, they didn't know where you were. Corin was chasing a lead on Chelsea to South America, knowing she would probably be the easiest to sway because of the time they spent at the tower. But you found her first, Caius didn't care either way. His back-up plan worked; the wives were spiraling into emotional turmoil and Aro couldn't ignore that."

"So now Aro's gunning for us too?" I snarled, although I didn't expect anything different.

"That's like saying Caius just wants to sit down and have a chat. Everyone wants you a pile of ash. You know how Aro is about Sulpicia, and she's demanding your head. Combined with his own feelings, he will stop at nothing now. He's just more patient than Caius."

"What are they planning then?" I ordered. This was worse than I thought.

Darcy hesitated, not wanting to betray his masters. I nodded to Jane and she focused her full power on him. She rarely went all out like that because it gave her what can best be described as a headache. The sheer pain would be more than enough to kill a human almost instantly, but with vampires it made every fraction of a second an eon.

I lifted my hand to tell Jane to stop, giving Darcy a chance to breathe again and compose himself enough to answer my question. Her eyes flashed to me; she would have taken the worst of migraines if it meant she could make this bastard suffer. I barely nodded, letting her know I completely agreed but we needed the inside information.

"This is the only second chance you get, and you don't deserve that much," I hissed. "Answer. The. Damn. Question."

"Aro, Marcus, and Caius are calling in every favor they've got. But it's apparently not going so well," he spat.

"Why not?" I returned to my cold, hard demeanor. It took everything I had, and than some. I wanted nothing more than to let him die a horrendously painful death.

"Caius was so cross then he gave the order for everyone to leave, mainly to look for and kill you, but also to try and find those other people. The way he told us to ask them sounded like a barely veiled threat, and you know you don't disobey an order from Caius if you value your life. Since it wasn't Demetri that showed up, most know he's not with them anymore and can basically run and hide. They've been looking for a tracker too, but after Santiago caught up to Alistair, and he gave a vague direction to where you were since his ability barely reached that far, he dropped off the face of the earth." Darcy was on the verge of babbling, desperately trying to keep me from allowing Jane to torture him. I was a horrible liar, and he knew that, so he didn't even try.

"Most of the immortal population knows we're out?" I asked. If so, it made some things easier and some things harder. The majority would fear my coven, probably more than the Volturi simply because of the gifts we possessed. We were pretty famous in our own right, outside the Guard and not usually in a good way. The list of our collective enemies was a mile long, and that caused it's own problems now that we didn't have the backing of the Ancients.

"Oh hell no! You really think Aro would let something like that get out?" Darcy scoffed. "The word on the street is Demetri's dead," - Heidi flinched at the news, even though Demetri had his hand on her shoulder – "and the Volturi is after whoever killed him. They're not doing anything to correct the rumor, just saying 'someone' got killed. They can avoid the truth-detectors that way."

Bella raised an eyebrow, but I shook my head infinitesimally, I'd explain later.

"What does the rest of the Guard know?" I growled, beyond pissed that the Ancients were manipulating innocent people like that. It was just like Caius.

"They know you left," he said with more acid in his voice than necessary. "And why."

"And we left why?" I answered with an scathing tone, rivaling his. I thought he might pick up on the fact that since I had to ask, the official reason for the witch hunt was a lie or at the very least a huge bastardization of the truth.

"Because you killed Didyme!" he shouted. "You and anyone standing behind you deserve to die, just like that little bitch!" His eyes flickered to one of the raging fires.

Every single one of us were too bewildered to even move. The mere thought that Aro would blame his murder of his own sister on me was so far beyond appalling, I couldn't think clearly.

Darcy's jab at Chelsea shoved Alec back to reality. He tore away from Emmett and Jasper, who were holding him back from Darcy until after I could interrogate him. Alec's roar was so fierce, it made me cringe as he dove at Darcy and started to annihilate him, piece by piece. Jane was right there, focusing again solely on him.

Heidi was shaking, her tearless sobs wracking her body. Demetri held her as close as he could without hurting her. Bella was pinned to my side, not doing much better. I placed my hand on the back of her head, stroking her hair. The overwhelming anguish and malevolence towards the Ancients was so thick in the air I could taste it.

All eleven of us just stood there, watching Chelsea's funeral pyre until it burned itself out, hours afterward. None of us could bring ourselves to do anything more right then.

Alec stared at the ground, seeing nothing. His entire reason for existing, for taking on the Volturi, was gone. It was even a harsher blown that they had been married, officially just days ago. The expression of such intense pain would mar his face forever.

Jane had completely shut down, her face giving away nothing, just a blank mask. She pulled Alec to her, laying his head on her shoulder.

As the sun set, Alec pulled himself away from Jane and starting running full speed to the north. I knew where he was going; up and over the north pole, south through Europe and straight to Volterra.

I charged after him, catching him easily. The infuriated scowl on his face and his glare at Bella give evidence that she was shielding me from both Alec and Jane.

"Alec! Think about this! About what you're doing!" I pleaded.

"Felix, let go of me. Now," he demanded pointedly.

"Sorry, brother, that's not going to happen. I swear to you, we WILL get them. They will pay for what they've done," I said with as much inspiration as I could manage. "But not like this. After this is over, if you ask me to, I'll end it for you without complaint, I promise. But help me slay the bastards responsible."

Jane let out a gasp of fresh pain at my promise to Alec. I hated myself for offering, but it was a mercy, a kindness for the immortal, to not have to endure the misery forever. He would have for me.

For the first time since I watched him turn, he hit his knees and broke down. I wanted to, we all did, but we had a reason stronger than ever to kill Aro, Caius and Marcus.

I let Jane take my place; Alec wasn't going anywhere, he didn't have the will to move at that moment. In the tenderest tone I'd ever heard from Jane, she whispered, "I'm here, Alec. I'm here," picked him up and began walking at human pace back to the lodge. It was completely heartbreaking.

I draped my arm around Bella, took a deep breath and followed my little sister. I could feel the urge to lash out building and I clenched my jaw shut to try and gain some control.

As we walked to the house, I thought about everything Darcy had told us and everything that had happened since Demetri and I stood, not far from here, talking about Chelsea and the far reaching consequences. I finally saw how luck was never on our side, always falling right into Caius' hands made from rash decisions fueled by his bloodlust. It was a no-win situation with every one of his spur of the moment plans ending badly for us in some way.

Aro was the careful one, clever beyond anyone I knew. He found the one thing that would ensure Marcus would no longer sit idly aside, utterly bored and uninterested in the events around him. That Aro had the audacity to blame Didyme's death on me, probably saying I was in a newborn tantrum, outraged me to no end. I swore Marcus would hear the truth directly from Aro's mouth before I massacred them.

"I'm going kill that little shit, and I'm going to enjoy it," I spat. There was no explanation needed.

Demetri, Jasper, Emmett and I hammered out the gist of how we would approach them, leaving room for more of Caius' bullshit, and filled in everyone else. As we left the lodge behind, we all knew there was no turning back.

The moment the past several months had been leading up to was finally here. No more dancing around the Ancients, no more taking them apart piece by piece. This was it. We were going after the heart of the Volturi.

**A/N: Seriously, that's a bit of a tear-jerker chapter, I got close to sniffling writing it.**

**So, it is officially on, and Felix is going to kill that little shit and enjoy it! *impish grin* **

**If you're keeping tabs, the body count is 27, 21 vampires and 6 werewolves. :)**

**Stay tuned...**


	21. Advanced Preparations

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry it took a couple days.**

**Cullensbabymama7, GleeklaughingXDPuckleBerry, and notyourlove, you keep me going, and won't let me get away with saying 'the hell with it' and taking the easy route with a chapter just because it's faster and easier, not necessarily better. :) There's no way I can disappoint you!**

**Shelby Bells and brikaspoms, thanks for the love.**

**Well, we're almost there. :)**

**Enjoy.**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**Advanced Preparations**_

I realized that sports cars didn't do well this far north, or more specifically on these roads, if you could even call them that. Gravel, ice and salt reeked havoc on the undercarriage and paint job, and I wasn't the most careful of drivers when it came to not running my car into into the ground.

Bella, Demetri, and I were, as usual in the Audi, with Alec, Jane and Heidi in the Shelby. The Cullens had wisely brought Emmett's Jeep, thanks to Alice seeing us here.

Alec hadn't said a word, not to anyone, even Jane. He really looked nearly catatonic, drowning in grief and depression. Occasionally, I'd notice the silent sobs shaking him, although he tried to hide it. There wasn't a damn thing we could do for him, not yet. Even Jasper's ability couldn't dull the pain, it was just too strong.

"I'm sorry guys, but I need a break," Jane sighed as she slid into the back. Jane had switched cars when we stopped for gas.

"But Alec –" Demetri started.

"Don't, Dem. Just don't," Jane told him in a rather conversational way, more like she was telling to leave the laundry to her or something. She had been just as silent as Alec, so her sudden casualness took us all by surprise. It was a little too disconcerting.

"Hey Jane," I grinned, it was somewhat forced but seemed genuine enough.

"Heya Felix," she beamed back. I realized she was doing the same thing most of us were, refusing to feel anything resembling grief, or at the very least not dwelling on it.

Jane and I were a lot alike that we could suppress the unpleasant things when we needed to. Bella could too, most of the time, but it never really registered with me since I saw through her brave-face more than most.

I had a mission now and could outwardly keep it together usually, except for the intense rage flaming in my eyes and making me want to throw something through a wall every time Chelsea crept into my mind. All of the former Volturi could, with one notable exception, and it was uncontrollable for him. Heidi had given up the pretense too, but she was sliding towards anger rather than grief more and more every hour.

I never hated my vampire mind until now, being able to think of so many things, feel so many things at once, and in enough force no human could deal. My own anger and mourning was almost more than I could handle graciously. Add to it the worry, and strange excitement going through me as I thought of killing Caius with Bella, along with the pity for Alec, it was too much. I'd do just about anything to get some temporary reprieve from dealing with all this.

"Hey, Bella? Where'd you get your boots?" Jane asked, disturbingly chipper. "I can't find any that last more than a few months, I've been on the move so often."

Bella gave an incredulous quizzical glance, cocking a eyebrow. I just shrugged, hoping she would just go with it. Although, I was so used to the casualness we usually had when dealing with anything hard, this was different. None of us had ever lost someone as close to us as Chelsea. Jane was straight up over the top, focusing on anything but Chelsea and her brother.

"Um...probably in Forks, I don't really remember, being human and all," Bella replied, trying to hide the edge of uneasiness and failing.

I smirked a little. Bella had those boots on the day I changed her, and had worn them most of the days since. She was rather attached to those boots, one of the only things left from her human life.

"I think you got them at the outfitters store there. I saw the shoebox and receipt in your room that night," I helped her out. To my surprise, I couldn't keep the irritation out of my voice either.

"Alec's basically useless right now, you need at least one of us at full capacity," she sighed, dropping the facade. "So say whatever you need to and get it out of your system, so I can have a normal, Chelsea-free conversation with someone."

"Look, I don't want to share my feelings, I don't want a shoulder to cry on," I said a bit more harshly than I should have. "I just want to get to Volterra."

"And then what?" Jane asked, a little abashed she called me out.

"Then I'm going to share my feelings." I don't think a phrase has ever been uttered with more malice.

"You've got that right brother," Demetri agreed with a humorless laugh.

Jane smiled that evil little smile that was surprising adorable yet terrifying on her, like an angry kitten, when it wasn't directed at me. She completely agreed with me, knowing things would be somewhat normal for now, at least on the surface.

Bella still seemed baffled by the exchange, probably thinking I wouldn't talk about this with her. She should have know she was the one person I would confide in. I put my arm over her shoulder, something that would be nearly impossible for anyone else, but my size made it look so natural.

"What is all that bullshit about Didyme?" Jane sneered. She was taking a risk bringing this up after what I said, but she knew me well enough I was only referring to Chelsea and Alec. I wouldn't have ripped her arm off or anything, but it's definitely be a close call.

"Seriously, I'm going to force Aro to tell Marcus the truth, come hell or high water," Demetri growled. He looked on the verge of doing major unintentional damage to my car.

"Aro and Caius can't afford for Marcus to be all apathetic here. We're the greatest threat they've ever faced, and that terrifies them knowing there is a decent chance they'll lose everything," I explained. "Marcus hasn't known who killed Didyme for centuries. Aro killed her when I was only seven months into this llife. Of course I didn't know either until a couple decades ago. I asked Aro about it and he gave me what sounded like a reasonable excuse at the time."

"What'd he say?" Jane asked, vitally interested.

"He told me that he brushed his hand across Didyme's shoulder, meaning to place a necklace on her, but she moved suddenly and she was plotting to kill Sulpicia after a vicious argument. He panicked and killed her to protect his wife before he fully realized he did it. Didyme had one hell of a temper, in spite of her gift sometimes, especially when it came to Sulpicia. Like I said, it sounded reasonable enough at the time."

"But why would he kill his own sister?" Jane's question caught at strange places in her throat, no doubt thinking of her brother.

"Every one of them are power-hungry fiends, but I think Marcus and Didyme were going to leave after the war between the three major forces was over. I overheard Didyme mention something in passing to Athenodora about missing her after they secured their rule. Marcus was more than willing to give up everything for her," I sighed.

There really wasn't a way the events of yesterday could not creep into any important and needed dialog. All I could control, or more like try to, was my reactions. This was going to be a very difficult few days, aside from the obvious.

"How the hell did Marcus never find out?" Demetri scoffed.

"Aro's a damn good liar, probably the best. I used to take everything he said with a grain of salt, but I don't believe a word of it anymore. I was blinded by loyalty, and only realized the full scope of it after I thought about leaving for Bella." I grimaced near the end. I never wanted Bella to have it confirmed that she was the catalyst to all this upheaval. I would never lie to her, but there was some things I didn't want her to know all the details.

Bella gasped, staring at me with an incomprehensible expression.

"Damnit," I groaned. I decided to backpedal as fast as I could. "It was me that started it all, Bella. Dem and I were talking and the others" – I had to sidestep saying certain names, for all our sakes for the moment – "popped into it. I couldn't go back because I was terrified Caius would think we were now a threat, and it just snowballed. So relax, Bells. I wouldn't change my mind, even knowing what I know now."

"It was brewing for a while, hon," Jane said, hugging Bella from the back seat. "I'm just glad it was with Felix. I'm not sorry I left, so don't you dare think you're to blame."

"If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I'm the one the brought up the issue to begin with," Demetri shrugged. "I don't regret it either."

"How the hell can you all be so caviler about this? Chelsea's dead and Alec's practically there too!" Bella shouted. In the confines of the Audi, it was ridiculously loud, causing all of us to jump. Before this, we had kept our voices barely above a whisper so they'd get lost in the road noise. Alec and Heidi were in bad enough shape without listening to our chatter.

I caught a glimpse of Alec face in the rear-view in the Shelby, and watched it crumple in pain at the mention of Chelsea.

"Jesus, Bells! Keep your voice down!" I hissed.

Indignation at my accidental scolding flared in her eyes. I really didn't mean to come across so strongly, but I was already on edge and I was known to be a bit overprotective of my little twins at times.

"Sorry, sweetheart," I apologized, winking at her. My trademark wink always seemed to put her at ease. I noticed the corners of her lips twitch upwards as the fire in her dark gold eyes waned.

"We're not laid-back about it, not at all," I started again. "You have to understand, we were and are still capable of being insanely disciplined with our emotions, or at least give that impression."

"For the most part, all of us were very jaded. Very, very jaded," Demetri explained. "We had to be rational and objective when doing our job and protecting us all from exposure to the human world. You wouldn't know it now, because of you, Bella, we're all less cold, and that's a damn good thing."

"Trust me, Bells, I'm taking this as serious as anyone possibly can," I sighed. "I'm just compartmentalizing. Grief and depression are not doing any of us any good right now. And we're gearing up for one hell of a showdown, no one can afford to let their emotions make them reckless."

"But you fight the hardest when you're pissed, and so do I," Bella murmured.

"I know, but I never let it cloud my objective if I can help it, and neither do you. The wrath we all feel right now will only make us more deadly." I smirked at the memory of Bella, full of fury, punching Michael right into me and the amazing amount of power the two of us put into the last seconds of that scrape.

"Heidi will pull herself together before we hit Volterra," Demetri said confidently, but I knew better. He wondered if she would ever really recover from the loss of one of her best friends. I highly doubted she would, I knew I couldn't.

"You and you're fucking devil-may-care attitude," Bella huffed. It made me grin in shock a little; she never really swore unless she was really upset.

"Look, Bells, I'm not going to lie to you, and I'm not going to downplay it either," I said, exhaling harder than needed and pinching the bridge of my nose. I didn't want to say this out loud. Hell, I didn't even want to think it. "What we're about to do is immensely stupid and dangerous. But I _cannot_ stand by and do nothing. No one here is going to lose their focus when it matters."

"How can be so sure of yourself, Felix?" Bella snapped.

"We're the most powerful coven in existence, and that's not including the Cullens. The Volturi is in for one hell of a beatdown. Having me as an enemy when I'm this livid is a very, very bad move," I grinned.

She finally loosed her rigid posture a little.

"This is what we do, Bells," Demetri shrugged, smiling at her.

"The only one to worry about is Alec," Jane whispered.

The car fell silent for the rest of the drive to Ithaca, New York. I didn't cope well with hours of quiet when I had so many things on my mind. It was an extremely long trip, and I hated being stuck behind the wheel when I probably only had a week, at best, with Bella.

I ran through the directions Rosalie had given me while I was acting as a jack when she was kind enough to upgrade and tune my cars. I guess she needed the distraction too.

The jeep was fast, but both the Audi and the Shelby would have left it in the dust, and they wanted to be there when I explained everything to Carlisle. The Cullens, themselves, hadn't even heard the whole story, although they were going with us, and I thought they deserved much better than walking into this without a full understanding.

When we finally arrived, Jane went directly to Alec, who looked impossibly worse than yesterday. With the concern and sadness in Carlisle and Esme eyes as they saw Alec, they must have guessed what had happened.

"Carlisle," I nodded as I shook his hand. "Esme."

"It's so good to see you again, Felix," Esme beamed. She turned to hug Bella, "You too, Bella."

"Yes, it is. I just wish the circumstances were different," Carlisle smiled, albeit sadly.

"I couldn't agree more," I sighed. "Carlisle, things have really hit the fan since we last saw you."

"So Alice said. She didn't really say what exactly, just you're in more trouble than ever, and werewolves were involved?"

"That's an understatement," I smirked.

"Let's go inside, and you can fill me in." He gestured to the front door, as I begin recounting all the events since Isle Esme.

"It's just hard to reconcile the way I remember them and the truth of it," he thought aloud, slowly shaking his head. "I guess I shouldn't really be surprised though. They were always a bit obsessive."

"And insane on top of that. They've already killed Chelsea," I said. Everyone cringed to various degrees when I mentioned her, along with quite a few growls and hisses. "And they very nearly killed me. And that's not the easiest thing to do."

A growl rumbled in Bella's chest, running her fingers across the scars on my back through my shirt. She was looking at Alec though, who was staring out the window trying very hard not to listen to us. I wouldn't doubt if he was using his ability on himself to block us out.

"Edward told me this amounted to suicide, and there was no reason to get involved," Carlisle said. He started to continue, but Alice cut him off.

"No reason? Carlisle! They've killed someone I love and destroyed another!" I was a a bit taken back Alice felt so strongly for us.

"I agree, Carlisle, I can't let this slide," Emmett added.

"Emmett," Esme sighed, but had no idea what to say next. It was obvious she didn't want her children in danger, or us either. "What...what about Edward?"

"I've tried reaching him, and he won't answer his phone. He knows what we're doing but keeping changing his mind about coming," Alice shrugged. "I'm going, with or without him."

"I'm with Alice. Always," Jasper said in his deep Texan drawl. It reminded me of home in that little town with the annoying cops and neighbors. I missed it.

"I can't let Emmett go without me," Rosalie whispered.

"When do we leave?" Carlisle asked, getting to his feet along with Esme.

"Carlisle, Esme, you have got to understand, there's a very good chance some, if not all of us are going to die in Italy." I was having trouble keeping my voice even.

"You are not going," Emmett said, it was a statement, not a request.

"I am the head of this family Emmett," Carlisle growled, more stern than I'd even seen him. Given the expressions on all of the Cullens, he had never talked like that to them either.

"Carlisle, he's right. I can't see the outcome of this fight, it's changing too much. But I do see you two will not survive. That is the only thing I'm not getting faint glimpses of," Alice pleaded.

"We'll be trying to protect you, and that will put us more at risk," Jasper said.

"I cannot let you walk into the lions den alone!" Carlisle shouted. Esme looked as if she way about to start sobbing.

"Carlisle, you can come with us, but you two stay the hell away from Volterra. That is not negotiable," I decided. All of his children gave affirmative responses, as Carlisle sighed and nodded. "On the chance that none of us make it, someone needs to be alive to tell the true story, and I can't think of anyone who's more trusted and well liked than you."

"What's the plan?" he whispered, defeated.

"I'm chartering a plane to southern Germany, and we'll run from there. I'll keep a phone on me and we'll call as soon as it's over," I said.

"No, keep it on speakerphone," he objected. "I want to know what's going on as best I can. I want to know if any of you are coming home."

Esme's breath hitched in her chest at that. She wasn't handling this well, not that I could blame her. I wasn't doing so good myself, none of us were.

We were eerily silent, even for our kind, on the flight. The plane landed just after dusk.

"You ready?" I asked, taking Bella's hand, ready to face whatever awaited us.

"Not at all," Demetri smirked.

Bella and I raced to the south, running as fast as we could while not getting ahead, with Demetri, Heidi, Alec, Jane, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie all beside us.

By the time we approached Volterra, everyone had gathered themselves, prepared to take on the Ancients.

I paused momentarily as we reached the top of a hill, squeezed Bella's hand and pointed to the age-old city. "Volterra, the city of the Volturi."

**A/N: Ok, I know, I know. The ending of this chapter is a lot like the end of "Race" In New Moon. Forget me, but that's exactly the kind of thing Felix would do and say. I promise the next one will have the confrontation. :) And it's going to take me a few days to get it up, so bear with me. If I haven't posted it by early next week, start kicking my ass until I do :)**

**Thanks for all the reviews and support!**


	22. Showdown

**A/N: I promised and here I deliver...the fight!**

**Cullensbabymama7, GleekLaughingXDPuckleBerry and notyourlove, this one is for you! Hugs and cookies!**

**Brikaspoms, you rock :)**

**Also, this isn't the end of the story, so don't worry :)**

**Enjoy!**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**Showdown**_

We ran right up to the walls of the city, and entered through what appeared to be a drainage grate to humans. It would have been creepy enough without the damp chill for most mortals to avoid, but some primitive instinct keep them away from the ominous castle it led to that had been the killing grounds of our kind for as long as the city had existed. I moved the false wall to a room just off the main reception area.

I had warned everyone to be as silent as possible. If we got lucky, and they were all in the main tower, no one would hear us. The Volturi knew we were out there posing a massive threat, but I really doubted they would expect us to just walk into Volterra.

My phone was on speakerphone with Carlisle's muted one in my pocket, and Alice's with Esme's just in case. I knew Esme would never forgive me if any of her children got killed, but honestly, I only had two priorities, protect Bella, and kill the Ancients.

As I scanned all nine faces in what barely amounted to a broom closet, blatant hostility and fury blazing on everyone face. It was the first time I'd even seen Alec look truly frightening to me. Demetri, Bella and I were downright sinister, too. I smirked wondering what Aro would think when he saw the bloodlust, the likes of which he'd never seen coming for him.

"Bella," I breathed. "We have to kill Renata first. She'd be behind Aro, and she's tiny with black hair, and should be easy. If you can't shield us all, you have take her out, we can't get to the Ancients if you don't."

Bella nodded, ready to rip her head off. I wished I could watch that fight without distractions, but I made a mental note to keep an eye on my Bella kicking ass.

"We kill everybody, Gianna included," I reminded them. "She knew what she signed on for, and she's as bad as the rest them, only human. She will torch the castle to stop us. And NOBODY makes a move before I do, or so help me God I'll kill you myself."

I held up my hand in the dark, and counted down with my fingers.

Three...

Two...

One.

I quietly slipped into the foyer, and spotted Gianna sitting behind the desk. She glanced at me in surprise and looked like she wanted to scream, but I didn't give her that chance. I crushed her skull with barely a flick of my wrist, ensuring I didn't draw blood. Someone having their instincts get the better of them was not something we needed, although we had all hunted in New York just hours ago.

The absence of her heartbeat would alert anyone would was paying close attention something was wrong. Thankfully, no one really did, so it was a risk I was willing to take. Plus, I wasn't the best judge of how to just knock her out without killing her. At least she didn't feel anything.

We flew through the hallways following the whispers of their chatter to what could best be describing at the throne room. A throne for the pretend kings of Immortals. _Not for much longer, _ I thought bitterly.

I scanned the room in a hundredth of a second. In that instant, a fear no one on the planet should be able to cope with gripped me. Thankfully, I was so intent on bringing them down, I managed to ignore every fiber of my being screaming at me to take Bella and run.

There comes a time in everyone's life, immortal or not, where they are certain they are going to die. Beyond a glimmer of any hope, whether it's that moment they lose control of the car, have a gun in their face, or staring down a small army of very vicious vampires. Sometimes the powers that be smile on them and grants them a reprieve from such a fate. This was mine, and I could only pray to whatever being might still give a damn that Bella would be one of those lucky few. There was no way I could see that we were all walking out of this alive. They could easily bury us in bodies, if the room wasn't somewhat narrow and long, but I wasn't convinced that would make a difference.

Our luck – whether good or bad at this point was anyone's guess – held, and all nineteen of the remaining Volturi were there, along with six others I didn't know, and Eleazar. None of them were expecting us.

In any other altercation the numbers were beyond even, almost easy, especially with Jasper, Bella, Emmett, Jane, Alec, Demetri, Alice and myself there. But this was a group of vampires with thousands of years experience, who clawed their way to the top by being better than anyone else. All bets were out the window.

The only edge I could see was that, as far as I knew, none of them had strong offensive gifts. The few immortals with extra abilities that I knew of wouldn't really help them against our skill. The Volturi was still trying to regroup.

Near the back, I saw Eleazar give me a nod, telling me I was right. He was still on our side, and I couldn't thank him enough. We needed it bad, and my despair of being in a losing battle faded a little.

Aro spun around in surprise and Caius hissed. Marcus zeroed in on me with the fiercest eyes there. The Ancients, the wives, and the Guard immediately dashed to the other side of the room. Keegan, Mari, and Lucas pulled the wives behind them, while the rest flanked Aro, Marcus and Caius. The only exit was behind us.

"Hello, _masters_," I sneered, putting as much venom in the last word as a single word could hold.

"Why, hello, my dear Felix!" he exclaimed like we was welcoming us home after the year-long newborn army clean up. He didn't fool anyone though, he was never more dangerous than when he was pleasant. "You're mate is more beautiful that I would have imagined!"

"You've had it too good for too long, Aro," I snarled. I ignored the comment about Bella, I had to if I didn't want to jump-start this prematurely and get us all killed.

"I think it is you that has, actually Felix, killing Didyme and all," he chortled. Marcus let out a viscous growl at the mention of his dead mate.

"That's a complete lie! I expect nothing less from you, of all people, Aro," I spat. Snarls and hisses erupted from both sides of the room. I could feel the tension building, ready to ignite at the slightest spark.

"I've done nothing! The others acted on their own," he smiled calmly.

"Keep piling on the lies Aro. I can clearly see you're terrified. Why? are you worried today is your last?" I smirked.

"No, I just hate to see my former dear ones fall," he continued, smiling politely, but his voice shook slightly.

"Wow, Aro, you're losing your touch," I snorted.

"Felix, we both know –"

I was sick of the games, and tired of his falsehoods. I barely squeezed Bella's hand, wishing I could hold onto it forever, but if this didn't work, I doubted I would even have the time to look back at her. A split second later, I leapt across the room, grabbed Renata by the hair, bounded off the wall and back to my line, all before anyone else could react. They never thought I could get that close, but thanks to Bella's shield, their one line of defense was useless.

I tossed Renata to Bella, who quickly ripped her apart, and threw me her head, which for the second time in history, I crushed to powder.

"Oh! I'm sorry," I said, looking at Aro with mock surprise. He was a wholly different level of shocked, never seeing my full strength brought to bear, then morphed into abrupt rage. "Was she important to you?" Our side laughed mockingly while theirs was a din of feral shouts and growls. If we weren't going to make it, we all figured we'd have some fun with it while we could. "You didn't really think we wouldn't find a way around your only shield, did you?"

"Clever," Aro conceded, eying Bella in a way that made me want to rip his eyes out of his skull. "I wonder which of your new companions managed to think of that one. Your mate? May I?"

An anger the likes of which I've never felt rose in me as he quickly darted forward, and grabbed her hand without waiting for permission. All of the Guards gasped at his movement. Bella saw him coming, pulled back, and hit him square in the jaw. I could hear his stone face cracking in protest as he stumbled back to his guard. I couldn't hold back my laughter, neither could anyone else among my family and allies and even Alec managed to crack a smile.

"Too curious for you're own good, but what else is new. You're done, Aro. Done with the Volturi, done with this life," I stated as a simple fact tinged with malevolence and a smirk still on my lips to rival Caius' on the best of days.

"You do realize you are about to be massacred?" Caius smirked. I really hated that smug bastard. If anyone was going to die, it was going to be him.

"Actually, I think you've got that backwards," I returned the grin, but with much more malice. It only grew need he instinctively stepped back, against the image he tried to present. That combined with knowing Renata was crushed at my feet and watching my Bella lay one on Aro threw me into full-blown cockiness. "You could beg for your lives, though. I think it would amuse me to watch you beg, You can give it a go if you like," I added with hard laugh. This might not be impossible after all.

"You insolent traitor!" Caius hissed, all traces of his cruel smile gone.

"You'll never of the qualities I do, Felix! Never be able to rule the Volturi! Nor will that sorry excuse for a woman of yours!" Aro shouted, his anger shocking even his guards.

"She's my Hellcat," I said, winking at my girl. "And that's something I'm _damn_ proud of! I don't want to run the Volturi, I never did. Besides, there's not going to be anything left to run."

"So this is how you repay me, after everything I've done for you?"

"For killing Chelsea, for constantly trying to do assassinate us, after all we wanted was to leave peacefully? Yeah. But you completely missed the point."

"And that would be?" Caius sneered.

"You CANNOT come after MY family and not sign your own death warrant." My voice was harsh, ice cold and murderous.

"We'll see about that!" Caius cackled.

"It's your head," I shrugged.

Without warning, without a signal, the ten of us crashed into the solid wall of Volturi Guards. The first couple seconds was complete chaos, although I never let Bella out of my sight.

Jane immediately send Marcus and his two guards to the ground. Switching between them as to not allow them to move other than flailing in pain. Alec wasn't at the top of his game, but managed to incapacitate Aro and his remaining guard.

The rest of us focused on anyone not under the twins' powers.

I slammed into Caius' bodyguards, Emma and Avery, with Bella intent on Caius himself. I threw Emma through the thick stone wall, nearly shattering her frame, and elbowed Avery in the face as he was trying to get behind me. I spun as fast as I could, slicing my teeth through his shoulder as I grabbed his wrists in each hand and kicked him in the stomach, effectively removing both arms and in a split second.

I glanced at Bella and Caius, both of their skin fractured. Caius snapped his arm back and threw a rather hard punch at Bella's face, turning it into a mosaic. She hissed, picked the bastard up, and kicked him to Alec to put under his power, keeping most of his left forearm with her. The look of shock and fury on Caius' face was priceless, as was Bella's evil grin.

Alice and Rosalie headed directly for the wives, Tristan and Olivia. Rosalie was just a fraction behind Alice, following her and her sight. Tristan dove for Alice who, of course, jumped lithely over him, sending him careening right into Rosalie's jaws. Tristan's headless body skidded across the floor where Eleazar tore it apart. Alice caught Olivia by the waist, and wrenched her head back so far it snapped off.

Rosalie then slung Sulpicia and Athenodora to Jane. Demetri pounced on Aro's other guard, dividing him into six pieces with ease. He didn't even have time to recover from Jane's attack.

Bella rushed after Emma, while I twisted Avery's head clean off. She clothes-lined Emma, knocking her on her back, and Bella slammed her head into the ground with enough force to send it flying in a dozen different directions.

Emmett and Jasper were all over the place, chasing after Rylan and Neva as they bounded along the walls. Jasper dismembered Neva within a second after he finally caught her. Rylan put up a much bigger fight, right on par with Emmett, dodging each other's blows and connecting every once and a while. By the look of Emmett's grin, he was having the time of his life.

In the next instant, a had four of the newcomers on me. I smashed one's neck to bits with a backhanded fist and a swift kick to the right spot. Eleazar jumped over to me, and pull one of them off, pushing her away and heaving to remove both right limbs.

Bella saw me trading blows with the last two newcomers, and took one out of the equation, punching him in the back and making him focus on her. He was fast, but Bella was faster as she ducked and wove through his hands, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. When she saw it, she vaulted off the nearby wall. Planted her feet on his shoulders and tore his head apart in two pieces, spreading them to opposite ends of the room. I was so proud of my Bella, she was a force to be reckoned with.

I quickly looked around. Jane was cackling as she watched Caius hissing in pain. Soon, only the three Ancients and the wives were subjected to Jane's fiery assault. White chucks were everywhere, quivering and clawing slowly along the ground trying to find its owner. We didn't have the time to start the fires just yet.

Alec was staring at the wives, vengeance on his mind. I threw a chuck of a hand at him lightly to catch his attention. I gave a quick shake of my head and mouthed 'wait'. He seemed content enough to let them suffer for the moment.

Bella turned and grabbed the man I was fighting by the arms, twisting them behind him. I reared back and hit him across the jaw so hard, it went flying across the room, followed quickly by his head.

I turned to Gregory and Bella to Jasmine. Gregory swept his leg under my feet, but made the huge mistake of glancing at Jasmine, and tearing after Bella as her teeth ripped through her neck. He caught her just below her chin, wrapping her in a headlock.

In that moment, nothing else existed except the burning passion for his death for touching my wife. Before I could move one step, Bella slipped out, threw him over her shoulder, back to me, just like I shown her almost a week ago in our backyard.

I slammed my fist through the back of his head before he even hit the ground.

"Emmett! Quit playing around!" I heard Rosalie yell, and I couldn't help but grin. Half a second later, Emmett, laughing his head off, finally ripped his opponent in half, to Rylan's intense surprise. Rosalie kicked Keegan to Emmett, who again started playing with him to prolong the fight.

Only Mari, Sophia, Keegan and Carey were left of the Guard, and they were scared, as they should have been. Bella slid her leg into Mari's knees and hooked her arm around her neck at the same time, bending her backwards. I came down with a hard foot placed perfectly and broke her in half, then destroyed her head.

Alice danced around Sophia while Jasper tore through her neck. Emmett, with Rosalie's help, finally took Keegan apart.

"That's it?" I said in disbelief, as I looked around. Only the Ancients and the wives were still alive, writhing in pain, the rest being piled and burned by Demetri and Bella.

All ten of us and Eleazar were fine. Well, fine might have been an overstatement. All of us had severe damage to our marble skin, and Jasper was rubbing a bite he'd gotten. Emmett was reattaching a finger, and Rosalie and Heidi were fixing their hair as usual.

After we all took a few minutes to compose ourselves, I pulled my phone from my pocket. I was shocked it wasn't shattered, although about fifty numbers did get pushed.

"Carlisle, you there?" I asked, hoping I didn't lose him.

"Yes. We're here. Is everyone alright?" Esme breathed.

"We're fine," Emmett laughed.

"You couldn't have been too outnumbered," Carlisle mused.

"Twenty-six to eleven. Eleazar was playing double agent for us," I smiled as I clapped him on the shoulder.

"But, how –" Carlisle began, interrupted by his wife.

"Are you headed back now?" Esme obviously wanted to hug her kids.

"There's one more thing we need to take care off. Call you when we're on our way."

I disconnected the call, and walked slowly to the Ancients.

Alec snatched Sulpicia up by the throat, nodding to Jane.

For a second, no one moved. Then they all panicked. Demetri secured Caius, I held Aro, and Emmett had Marcus. Bella was all too pleased to have her hand wrapped around Athenodora's neck.

"Well, that was fun," Jane giggled. "Let's find out just how immortal you really are."

"So how does it feel Aro? To see everything you've worked centuries for come crashing to the ground?" I smirked cruelly. I was going to enjoy this for all the hell he had put me through.

"Don't hurt her!" Aro pleaded Alec. It was pitiful and seemed so beneath him.

"Chelsea didn't have time for me to beg for her," Alec said coldly, his mouth lingering tauntingly at her neck.

"Please!" Aro pleaded again. I couldn't help but laugh. It was so unlike him.

"You know that's not going to work, right? Amusing? Definitely, but futile all the same," I snorted. It was rather funny watching him struggle in my hands.

"Anything!" Aro begged.

"Tell Marcus the truth. All of it. Not the damn lies you've told for so many years," I sneered.

Aro hesitantly glanced at Marcus then to Alec. His teeth inched closer to Sulpicia's skin.

"FINE! I killed her, I killed my sister because you two were going to leave and I couldn't allow that, not with your gift," he huffed, like he was only confessing to stealing a cookie or something.

"YOU?" Marcus roared. Emmett had a difficult time keeping him in place. "KILL HER!" he shouted to Alec.

Alec grinned and before Aro could even change his expression of horror, Sulpicia's body dropped to the floor and her head rolled to Aro's feet.

"SULPICIA! NO!" Aro shouted, trying to get free of my grasp.

"You know, I don't think revenge is overrated at all," Alec evilly smirked. "It's underrated."

"Justice is finally done," Marcus sneered at Aro. Marcus' glare at his follow Ancient was more than enough to trigger my own survival instincts, and I took an involentary step back, dragging Aro with me.

"Marcus, you've lived with this pain far to long," Alec whispered. The side of Marcus' mouth turned up, grateful for the end.

Alec made it as quick as he could, hurling pieces of Marcus into the nearest fiery pile of bodies. I hated Marcus, but he was the kindest of the three, and he deserved an end to his suffering.

"So, Aro, Caius and Athenodora," I said, evaluating the options.

"I vote Athenodora," Jane smiled, bring her to the ground as Bella dropped her.

"Let her go you bitch!" Caius spat. Jane stopped just as Athenodora let out a blood-curdling scream, and slapped her, forcing her back to Bella.

"You one hell of a piece of work, Caius," Bella said coolly, seconds before she ripped Athenodora apart to Caius' vicious growls and roars.

Before Demetri could strengthen his grip on Caius, he broke free.

He didn't go for me like I expected, but after Bella. I tensed, accidentally crushing one of Aro's arms to dust, but I couldn't care less.

With a quickness I wouldn't have believed possible, Bella stepped of out his path and dodged Caius's torch as he drew it from his pocket. She double-backed behind Caius, and with a deadly whisper so quite, yet so deafening at the same time, gave him the last words he would ever hear. "You DO NOT fuck my family, you sick bastard." A fraction of a second later, his head was sailing towards me, as I released Aro and none too gently threw it in the fire with the others.

Aro turned and wheeled for me, but I was ready and he knew it.

"I told you it was over, Aro," I said, swiftly crushing his head into the stone. Jane dropped a match on him, and watched him burst into flame.

"It's over," I repeated, wrapped my arm around Bella, and followed the others out through the street entrance, letting the building burn behind us.

**A/N: So? The final showdown! I really hope I didn't disappoint! (Try writing a battle on the scale, it's not the easiest thing to do.) **

**This isn't the end of the story, so don't worry.**

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	23. Annoying Conversations

**A/N: Hey guys, here's the next one.**

**My favorite people on here: Cullensbabymama7, GleekLuaghingXDPuckleBerry, and notyourlove, this entire story is for you!**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**Annoying Conversations**_

I sent the Cullens on ahead, telling them to take the plane back to the states. We still had some clean up to do here.

The old stone walls of the castle kept the fire contained, for the most part, to that one room. It seemed so much bigger when we left an hour ago.

Alec was surveying the damage, when he caught my eye. I was instantly reminded of the promise I'd made him. I really wasn't sure if I could bring myself to do it after all. Luckily for me, he quickly shifted his eyes away. I wouldn't make good until he asked me in no uncertain terms.

Jane noticed the brief exchange and shook her head. I couldn't bear to see Alec so broken, but I knew it would be the end for Jane and I. Either way, I would lose people I cared deeply for, but in different ways.

Several men, it sounded like firefighters, were shouting in Italian and banging on the thick wooden doors of the street entrance. I was really naïve to think the fire and thick purple smoke would have gone completely unnoticed by the humans even at night. Heidi, Gianna, Demetri or myself would usually handle the mortals. With Gianna dead on the floor just behind the desk, and Demetri and I both looking like we'd been through hell and back without bothering to change shirts, I thought Heidi was the best option.

I listened intently for any sign they would insist on inspecting the building. Somehow, the Volturi had manipulated the Italian and Volterra law to cover our bases, and prevent mortal authorities from entering the building without expressed, written consent from the owner, which was now, ironically, me.

Being the oldest former member of the Volturi still alive definitely had its perks; although I was a tad shocked Aro didn't think to change all the legal paperwork so the tower wouldn't default to me if we won. Then again, he never considered the possibility that I might come out on top.

"Well, that took longer than I would have liked, but they're gone. I'd be surprised if they came back later," Heidi sighed, walking at an inhuman paced towards Demetri.

"No kidding. We probably woke the entire city with all the racket," Jane laughed.

"Oh I know we did," Demetri grinned.

"So what's next? Back home?" Bella asked.

I shrugged. I was still very uneasy about the Volturi being gone.

"What?" Demetri questioned, peering at me. He knew me too well to let me get away anything less than the truth.

"Our world's about to thrown into chaos," I muttered. "With the Volturi gone, I have no idea how everyone will react. There's going to be one hell of a power struggle for sure. The Southerns will go back to their old ways, and I dread to think of what an insane immortal would do if they came across a child they wanted." I shuddered at all the possibilities.

"Well, no one knows they're gone, do they?" Heidi whispered. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I realized where this was likely to go.

"No..." Demetri said, slowly putting the pieces together. "Felix?"

"I have enough on my shoulders without worrying about policing the world!" I groaned. "But all the people who would be the most likely to take over would be far worse than if Aro wasn't ash!"

"We don't have to police the world, Felix," Jane grinned. "It's the idea, the threat of the Volturi that keeps everyone in line. We're the most visible members anyway, and the six of us are more than capable of cleaning up any issues."

"Fine, you can do it without me then," I shrugged as I decided between the two options, one I wanted for me and my Bella, the other for the sake of everyone. No way was I going to allow anything to change my mind, I was done being the good soldier.

"I actually like the idea, Felix," Bella whispered. "Someone has to step up."

Except that.

"Bells, you have no idea what you're talking about. The Volturi were cruel and vicious when enforcing the law, and that's some of their better qualities."

"So, here's the chance to do something you believe in, but do it right," she said. I felt like she just told me to suck it up and be a man, which she basically did.

It was dead silent for almost an hour, just the quiet crackling of the embers to break the stillness.

"Damnit, guys. I don't want to do this," I groaned again.

"Look Felix, it's the best alternative to the Romanians taking over. We all know what a disaster that was last time," Demetri persuaded, or tried to.

"Felix, can I talk to you?" Alec asked as he finally unfroze. He went to Jane, and hugged her without a word spoken.

I closed my eyes and tried to steel myself for the inevitable.

He led the way down through the numerous underground levels, and back up through another of the turrets. I knew the chances of the other hearing us hear was nearly impossible.

"I'll make this quick," I grimaced.

"Don't you dare touch me," he grinned.

"Then, why –"

"I'm not sure I can get through all this without spiraling into a bad place, so bear with me. I didn't want Jane to see that. I'll try to keep it together though."

I nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"I'm right there with you. I'm not keen on taking the place of the Volturi. But –"

"You ever notice how the word 'but' tends to negate everything before that?" I smirked, more out of irritation than amusement.

"I think I did notice that," he snorted. "Now, shut up and listen. I still believe in the mission, though. The real one, not this bullshit Caius used for his own bloodlust and sense of superiority. We both know everyone in that room agrees."

"It would just be facade. Just like Bella and me with the nosy-ass neighbors," I huffed.

"No, it wouldn't, and somewhere deep down you know that," he countered. "Look, we now have all the resources of the Volturi. The iron-clan cover stories that God himself wouldn't doubt, the finances, the travel options, the respect and fear, everything."

"And what about when some idiot comes up with something and a new law is needed?"

"Simple. The basics are covered, and beyond that if whatever it is violates one key principle, 'keep the secret', we ban it."

I sighed and raised my eyes to the ceiling, trying to find a hole in his case.

"Felix, I'm in pain you can't even imagine," he said, his words catching in his throat at odd places. "Under any other circumstances, I'd be begging you to end it for me, since I can't really do it myself. But this is something Chelsea" – he had a tremendously hard time saying her name , and I grimaced a little – "would kick my ass from here to the other side of the universe if I turned my back on it. It's the least I can do for her. Not to mention Jane would be torturing you for decades if you did," he smirked. "We can't let our world be exposed. Anonymity is far too important to all of us...well, most of us anyway. And we can't, we won't do it without you. You're the head of this family after all."

"I should kill you for this alone," I griped like a little schoolgirl. Sure, it was immature, but I was pissed my coven never seemed to settle into something I was completely comfortable with and worse yet convinced me against my faulty better judgment, although Bella was usually right in the end. Whether ditching the Volturi to began with, being constantly on the move, staying one step ahead of our enemies or suddenly deciding to enforce the damned law. You would think after the toughest war of my very long life I deserved some peace and quiet.

"So is that a yes?" he asked hopefully, knowing he had won.

"FINE! But the second I find someone who's capable and willing, I'm dropping it like a bag of bricks," I snorted.

"For Chelsea," he whispered as he paused at the door, seeing if I was following.

"For Chelsea," I agreed, giving him a sad smile.

I walked into the foyer, a few seconds ahead of Alec. Jane misinterpreted the chagrin on my face as regret, I guess. Knowing Bella was probably shielding me, something she so accustomed to it took no effort, Jane sprang at me, throwing fifteen punches across my upper body before Alec yanked her off.

"Jane, chill," Alec chuckled.

"ALEC!" Jane screamed, part in relief, part in irritation he went off with me without telling her why, leaving her to think the worst. "You will NEVER do that to me again, or I swear to God I will find a way to make you regret it!"

"I sorta have to agree, Alec," I laughed. "That wasn't the smartest move you've ever made. I felt like I was going to have a stroke the whole way there."

"What was that all about anyway, seeing as you're not a burning pile of embers?" Demetri smirked as Jane wheeled to glare at him.

"Things we needed to deal with," he shrugged, eying me hoping I'd leave Chelsea and my reluctance out of the explanation.

"Alright. Everyone else seems to think that we should take over to some degree," I sighed. It was hard getting this out, considering it was near the bottom of the list of things I wanted.

"Does that include you?" Bella asked, clearly concerned about me as always.

"To an extent. I really can't stomach the thought of Stefan or Vladimir forming the keystone of whatever would spring up in the Volturi's absence. And I know the Southern Wars would be hell on earth if they knew," I shuddered. That was a year that would be forever etched into the minds of the immortal population. "Alec mentioned we already have all the resources we need, and then some. And since no one outside of the Cullens and Eleazar's coven know the Volturi is gone, we can basically step up to bat with no one the wiser."

Excitement filled the room, Alec was right about them. I ran through the rest of the points Alec made, and conceded with better grace than I thought possible when they all voted me leader for the second time in a year. Nothing had really changed with our group dynamic, aside from the obvious, thankfully.

We cleaned up the throne room from all the ash and destroyed furniture, and then knocked down a wall, turning it into a great room. The worst part of running the Volturi, besides than I simply didn't really want to for my own selfish reasons, was at least for the time being, we really needed have our base of operations in Italy and not my house in East Texas.

Bella and I flew back to New York on the Volturi jet, loaded up the cars and filled the Cullens in on what we were doing. We hit Dallas next to get our things we didn't want to leave behind and wrap up an alibi for the neighbors, saying small-town living wasn't for us and were going back to the city.

It was true that I didn't give a damn about the neighbors, but if I was going to be the new face of the Volturi, I might want to start setting a good example. And I was looking forward to finally getting to tell off Officer Brown. In the interest of keeping the peace and the gun-toting, pitchfork-carrying locals happy, Bella demanded I be civil, or as civil as I had to be. It was easier said than done sometimes.

We unloaded the Shelby and sped down the highway faster than anyone should be allowed to go, faster than any cop in his right mind would even consider going to pull me over. It wasn't like we weren't about to skip the country for quite a while after this short visit anyway or that I didn't now have the ability to wipe any mention of me out the system.

We pulled up at three in the morning, and Bella rushed inside to pack all our clothes, the huge bookcase full of books she had bought recently, and the various items the others had left here. I, of course grabbed the huge TV, laptop and the few items I didn't carry with me on a regular basis, like the small bag of jewelry I wanted to give to Bella at certain points, my long dark grey coat or the matching cloak we used as Guards. Nothing like keeping up appearances. Bella managed to talk me into bring all the furniture too, a keepsake from our first real home together, and honestly, I need a big reminder to keep me grounded if I didn't want to let my natural cockiness turn into the equivalent of Aro. It could go to my head at times.

Although I was now so wealthy it made the Cullens' bank accounts look like spare change, I had a slight aversion to tossing perfectly good things. Especially when the living room set itself cost more than most people made in a year.

We had to wait until the truck rental place opened at ten, but the unpredictable Texas weather held, storming like crazy. It would be strange for a human to move in this weather unless absolutely necessary, which is why I think some one decided to call the police, again. We apparently looked 'suspicious'.

"Brown, what do you want?" I said exasperated. I was done playing nice.

"Mr. Skylar, I am an officer of the law. You will show me some respect!" he snapped.

I heard Bella laughing quietly from the bedroom, trying to even out the boxes of books so it wouldn't be so heavy it would rip though the bottom.

"Just because your dad was the police chief doesn't mean I have to be nice the cops," I muttered, too low for human ears.

"We're basically the highest law in our world now. It's like a king being scolded by a hall monitor," she giggled.

He continued to bitch and moan for another five minutes, and finally left with a less than subtle warning.

I knew Bella would be furious if I killed him, and it wouldn't be one of my best moments. But I still thought the annoying bastard deserved it. Though, I had killed people for a lot less and not just because I was thirsty. But of course, that didn't mean I wouldn't made his life hellishly frustrating before we blew town.

When he was at the station working the graveyard shift, I ran out to his car and snapped his axle in half along with putting my fist through the engine block. _Have fun replacing that._

Just to top it off, I ran through the town and set off every retail alarm I could find. It was amusing watching him trying scramble to care take of it all while panicking like crazy.

Although I should have been incredibly used to Bella being thousands of times stronger than a mortal, it was still oddly funny to watch her lift a five hundred pound plus bed frame with three fingers. Jane and Heidi still caught me off guard with that from time to time. They all just seemed so delicate, but I knew for a fact Bella was an unstoppable force of nature. She was not someone I'd want to cross, ever.

The drive back to Dallas Love Field took far too long with the moving truck's self imposed speed limit of sixty-five miles per hour. Thankfully, the plane was ready to go as soon as we loaded it up. I was strangely impatient to get back Italy.

I was rather annoyed I couldn't find a truck to rent when we landed in Florence. So I did the typical vampire thing and "borrowed" one. I didn't think it was a big deal; apparently Bella disagreed.

"You STOLE a truck?"

"Geez, Bells, relax. We're the eternally damned, remember? I don't think stealing a truck for a few hours is really going to tip the scales one way or another," I laughed, winking at her.

"But still!" she chided but cracked a smile in spite of herself.

"I'll have it back before they know it's gone. It's Saturday and the business isn't open again until Monday. I have to come back to get the Audi anyway," I explained.

"Okay, I guess," she gave in.

When we had finally moved everything and returned the truck with no one the wiser, Bella brought up something I really hadn't thought about explaining.

"So, how exactly do we enforce the law? It's not like there's a vampire crime tip hotline," she scoffed and then changed to thoughtful. "Or is there?"

"Actually, there is, sort of. The Volturi had an open door policy. Basically if they told us something was going on, as long as they informed us quickly they'd usually be immune from prosecution, if Caius wasn't in a horrible mood that day."

"Well, you did say news traveled fast."

"That's another way, rumors. Of course we checked them out first to see if there was any truth to them. And there's the human news. Vampire patterns are easy to spot, if you know what you're looking for."

"How often does a, er, situation happen?" she gasped, looking like I just casually mentioned some outrageous crime rate among our kind. We did have a higher than average murder rate after all.

"Maybe a couple a year, but most of those are minor, and only took a couple of us to remedy. The major problems, maybe once a decade if we're not lucky. The biggest problem is older vampires not controlling their newborns. And then any major human war, we're usually keeping watch. They tend to stir up trouble between immortals."

By mid afternoon, we had all claimed whatever rooms we wanted. Having the huge castle made living with five other vampires not such a hassle. We had more room per couple than the Cullen mansion, and we weren't tripping over each other as usual. Sometimes, it could take a day or two to even cross paths with the others.

"Hey Dem," I called, still in the stairwell that led to mine and Bella's apartment/house on the upper levels, and rolling up the sleeves of my shirt. My amusement was apparent. "Can you get Heidi to order one of those ironwork beds from that guy in Germany? Bella just destroyed ours."

I came around the corner to find Edward glaring at Demetri and Jane.

"Damnit, Cullen, this better not be one of your 'you're no good for her' visits, for your sake," I said, exasperated beyond belief. Demetri's gaze snapped to me when I called him by his last name; he knew I was quickly losing my patience.

"Not exactly," Emmett grinned, pulling Rosalie by the hand behind him.

**A/N: So starts the aftermath :) **

**I decided I'm going to continue the story for a little while, so tell me what you think, same story with more chapters or different story, continuing plot?**

**Thanks guys!**


	24. Saints And Sinners

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry about the delay. I was reminded of why I'll never have more kids, my boys wanted a sleepover hehe**

**Anyways, Hooray for Team Skylar (GleekLaughingXDPuckleBerry, Cullensbabymama7, and notyourlove), my favorite people ever :) You all keep me going :) **

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**Saints And Sinners**_

"Wha- what? Huh?" I stuttered, too surprised to form a coherent sentence.

"A couple things were brought to our attention when you stopped by," Carlisle said from behind Emmett. "I'm assuming the tourist business is no longer needed?"

"Yeah, I guess. Maybe we could start a zoo," Demetri laughed.

"Or a livestock ranch," Bella smirked

"Not that I'm not eternally grateful Carlisle, but who's 'we', exactly?"

"My family," he smirked. It was a strange expression on Carlisle. Humans might not be able to tell the difference but I could, I had lived with him longer than any of the Cullens when he was with the Volturi after all.

I raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was up to. Then I heard whisper-quiet footsteps, but ignored it. With eleven people in the castle, this wasn't exactly a low-traffic area.

"Carlisle somehow talked me into returning as well," Eleazar grinned, coming down one of the many hallways.

I stared at him disbelief. I hadn't seem him in over a century. I was rather excited to see him, he still believed in the mission, like me, but now I could pass off this whole thing to him.

"It's not that simple," Edward smirked, although for a completely different way than his father. It was clear whyever Eleazar was here would only make my life more complicated, not necessarily worse though.

"Explain," I said slowly, more than a little wary.

"The six of you are the perfect enforcement team. But, as much I really do like you, Felix, this should not be a what-you-say-goes. No single person should have that power. I was thinking, perhaps, Carlisle, you and I could do this together, keep everything even and balanced," Eleazar explained. I could see he was choosing his words carefully, trying not to anger me, but I was actually ecstatic.

"Carlisle? Is this something you're on board with?" I asked. The Cullens home was in North America, and I wasn't sure how they'd all react moving here.

"Basically the tour company won't be needed, as a fishing means anyway, I was thinking I could open a practice here for several years and help with the Volturi front."

"I actually like that idea. What about hunting though? We're not really in prime territory for that," I pointed out.

"Felix, we're in the the perfect spot, and with our resources, we've got a huge area to choose from. We can be at great hunting grounds in a few hours, thousands of miles from here," Emmett said, no doubt thinking about all the new things he could hunt.

"First off, you won't be anywhere near the cockpit of any of our planes, so banish the thought, Emmett," I laughed, joined by the others and Emmett putting on a convincing pout.

"Ok, but what if we have to eat locally?" Jane countered. It was something that had crossed my mind, but not more than that.

Everyone was silent for a second. Edward's eyes snapped to Demetri, who was grinning.

"You must be joking," Edward said, half surprised and half annoyed.

"Aro never ditched that huge patch of land for you to hunt on Carlisle, and it's basically overpopulated now."

"No kidding," I murmured.

"Will you shut up and let me finish?" Demetri smirked. "We've all the prey we need as long as we don't get greedy."

"Really? What possible use could it have had for the Volturi after I left?" he mused, talking more to himself than Demetri.

"Training grounds," I shrugged. "It isolated enough that almost no one will cause a fuss about the noise, and the high walls help too. It's officially a quarry, so the racket isn't unexpected."

"So what? Carlisle, Eleazar and myself taking over?" I asked, still not totally comfortable with the idea.

"Yes, why not? It keeps everything balanced. All of your traits complement each other, and on any decisions, majority actually rules, finally, instead of Marcus letting everything slide, Caius wanting to kill everyone and Aro's choice being the tiebreaker." Demetri had a point, and a damn good one at that. I hated that I couldn't argue against his logic without being reduced to a whiny bitch, and I was not about to stoop to Edward's level.

Edward snorted and shifted his glare to me. I instinctively bared my teeth a little, but he stopped as soon as Bella shot him a warning look. He knew, probably better than I did since I'd never been on the receiving end, you took any warning from Bella as serious as a nuclear threat, if you wanted to keep existing for next five minutes.

I doubted she truly hated him, it just wasn't in her nature. But fed up enough to never see him for the rest of eternity and possibly toss a few valuable appendages into the Challenger Deep? Oh, hell yeah, and honestly I was way passed that point.

"Can I speak to you two? Privately?" I asked Carlisle and Eleazar. They nodded and followed me through the underground tunnels to the far east end of the Volturi complex, in the same room I had talked with Alec.

"Look, I'm willing to give this a shot, and I do think the three of us have the best chance of doing to properly, but there's a few kinks to work out," I said. Carlisle knew the reason for my reservations, but I doubted Eleazar had put two and two together.

"Edward's a problem," Carlisle sighed.

"Why?" Eleazar was baffled like I expected.

"In a word: Bella. He was with her before me, he left, and I fell for her and turned her. He hates me for that and thinks I'm putting her in danger constantly. He tried to get her to go with him after we fought Michael, and she nearly took his jaw off." My words came out in a rush, it was obvious this wasn't an easy situation. "It's more complex than that, but you get the idea. She's made her opinion clear quite a few times and he won't back off."

"Ah," Eleazar said thoughtfully. "He's always been a bit prone to overreaction. I'll speak with him. He trusts me, and I'll make him see the Volturi really isn't that dangerous. Or at least it wasn't." He was grinning ruefully, no doubt running through the battle in his head and the part he might have played in forming Edward's opinions..

"I'll do what I can as well. He is a valuable asset, since he's the only one who would be able to decipher the truth for certain," Carlisle pointed out. He didn't refer to Edward that way because he thought of him as to command and he wished, but an asset to the whole, just like the rest of us.

"I'm not so sure about that. You can lie with your thoughts, but with Aro, he knew everything. Anyone who can detect lies could do so, but I doubt we could convince any of those immortals to join us. But Jane has a way of getting the truth, but I rather not resort to that if I don't have to," Eleazar mused, wincing a bit.

"What?" Carlisle wasn't following either of us.

"I have my reasons to think Aro more or less ignored the truth of a situation when it suited his own desires, and very few people would be able to know the difference. Edward would be helpful there, but he's got to work on his attitude," I explained.

"Understandable," Carlisle nodded.

"And Eleazar, what about the rest of your family? I don't want to take you away from them, but Tanya, Kate, Irina and some of my family aren't exactly on good terms."

"They're fine, or will be. They have a very healthy respect for the law, nearly fanatical, and they'll appreciate we're doing it right. They don't hate you, they hate their mother for bringing that on herself."

"You were there?" Carlisle gasped, knowing exactly what I was referring to.

"Demetri, Jane and I were the ones would brought them back to Volterra. I killed Sasha and the child," I said, looking anywhere but at Carlisle. That was the most elaborate explanation he was going to get from me.

I pivoted to walk out of the room. I didn't want to listen to Eleazar recount the finer, unknown details of the story to Carlisle from what Tanya had told him.

"You want to call ME a problem? You have been NOTHING but a menace since you stepped into Bella's life!" Edward roared as he stomped towards me at the end of the foyer. I should have known his gift would reach us there.

"Me?" I scoffed. I pulled myself up to my full height, towering over him. He wanted a fight? Well, he was about to get one.

Emmett and Jasper were silently exchanging cash, Jasper had won whatever bet they made. I was more than glad they had decided to stay out of this.

Bella darted into the room, directly between us.

"Stop, right now!" she shouted. Bella was looking, and speaking, at him, not me. I couldn't help but be a little smug that she was taking my side. Always my side.

"Bella, I'd really like you to step aside," I hissed, my temper towards Edward growing by the second. Bella had already gotten to punch him, I wanted my turn.

"Not yet, love," she growled, irritated as much as I was. "Edward, the only menace in my life has been you. Felix" – she pointed to me as if to emphasize her point – "has done nothing to deserve anything you've said or done. He'll never leave me like you did, and he doesn't lie to me. It's over. Now play nice or I will let him loose on you," she snarled, her fury growing with each word.

"How can I play nice when he's the one always keeping a sword over your head? He doesn't love you!" he roared again.

That was it for my patience, and she knew it. Bella stepped to the side and I lunged.

Emmett pushed Edward out of the way, but otherwise did nothing to hinder my attack. I spun and smacked Edward in the side with force to send him sailing at the stone wall.

"Edward, drop it already," Emmett hissed. Carlisle was looking at Edward with extreme disappointment. This was something they had already discussed and something the rest of the Cullens would not tolerate any longer.

"If you cannot behave yourself, you will leave or I will break you," I growled, my voice as sharp of razors, enunciating every word. "Although I'm accepting Carlisle and Eleazar's help, the curiosity and respect I have for them do not necessarily extend to you. I have no problem being civil and perhaps becoming friendly at some point. But you will drop all this bullshit about Bella and I. You're upset and bitter, I get that, but you will not make the rest of our lives miserable. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," he sneered and stalked off the south wing.

"I should probably go talk to him," Carlisle mumbled and followed after his son.

"Thanks, Em," I smirked.

"Anytime bro. I figured you didn't actually want to kill him," he laughed.

"In truth, we're all tired of it to some point," Esme sighed. It shocked everyone, Esme was never one to speak badly of her children, even under the worst of circumstances. I expected her to take Edward's side, and be very anti-Skylar, but she hated watching the rest of her family suffer because of it, and therefore wasn't too happy with her son at the moment.

When I spoke to her about it, she told me she felt like it wasn't a true love like Bella and me, but more like an intense friendship and trying to force it into romantic love. Her reasoning cause that he'd do anything to keep her safe, even at the expense of her happiness. I never could, her having her heart's every desire was too important to me, but she was amazing in a tense situation.

"I'll take care of it," Bella sighed, and before I could protest she had already flitted out of the room after Carlisle.

I went the opposite direction towards our quarters.

If I was honest with myself, even though it seemed I had calmed down a bit, I was furious at Edward for being such a...well, I couldn't think of a word obscene enough, so I ran through every insult in every language I knew instead. But I was also mildly pissed at Carlisle for bringing him and Bella for trying to reason with him. My anger at Bella came and went faster than I could actually think about it. I could never be angry at her, and I immediately felt deeply guilty.

"Hey Dem," I sighed as he rounded the corner. I had firmly planted myself on the floor, building a massive house of cards, trying to distract myself enough to not go downstairs and yell at Edward some more.

"Hey, bro. What's on your mind? And don't tell me it's all about that asshat," he smirked.

"Heh, I think you know me too well sometimes." I tried to grin back, but it came out more of a grimace. "It bothers me that he thinks he knows us, knows how we were when we were just part of the Guard. He doesn't see how we were simply enforcing the law, and to the best of our knowledge, we were the good guys. It's like people in a dictatorship, they don't see the problems until it's too late. We're not brutal and cold people, it was just our job."

"Oh, I know exactly what you mean," he hissed. "He called me and Jane thoughtless murderers, and you too."

"I guess he's right in a sense. We've all killed thousands, immortal and human alike. But I never killed anyone just because I felt like it."

Demetri raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not saying I had a _good_ reason with some humans, but I still had a somewhat valid reason. And I never touched a vampire outside what the law dictated or outside protecting my family." I was deeply offended Edward would consider me a murderer.

"I get it. I just can't believe with his ability, he either doesn't see and refuses to see how passionate we are about the law."

"Me neither," I said. "I'm in a delicate position to say the least. I won't have Carlisle's family destroyed on account of me, but I can't see putting up with that shit for the next several weeks, much less decades."

"So, what are the options?"

"I don't know, Dem. I don't know how to make this work without someone resenting me."

I hadn't expected problems this big to crop up so soon. Either the Volturi would be under my rule alone, which I wasn't thrilled about, or I would have to strike a tenuous balance between my desire to rip Edward apart and my need to keep me and mine in Carlisle's good graces.

This might be harder than just slaughtering the Volturi.

**A/N: The people have spoken. I know this is a shortish chapter, but it's laying the ground work for the next part of the story. You said you wanted me to continue this one with more chapters, so your wish is my command. :) I guess it's like multiple books in one volume. **

**To answer one question I got, I am keep the year numbers out of it because I'm not exactly sure what the time line is yet, so that's why I keep it vague and more or less let you decide.**

**I might start working on this story from a different angle/POV soon, so bear with me if updates take a couple extra days.**

**All the reviews and favorites keep me in an annoyingly good mood, so thank you so so much! Virtual hugs and cookies to everyone!**


	25. Simple Pleasures

**A/N: Heya guys, again. :) I'm fully aware this is another short chapter, but I'll gearing up for something, so deal. :) Also I'm working on Black King, White Knight almost twice as much, trying to catch up a little.**

**Shoutout to cullensbabymama7 and GleekLaughingXDPuckleBerry! I love ya guys! ;)**

**Enjoy!**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**Simple Pleasures**_

"Sorry," Bella murmured sheepishly as she shut the door to our place between her.

"Sorry for what?" I asked, wondering what she could have possibly done to make her felt the need to apologize to me.

"I think the Cullens are gone. I know Edward is," she sighed.

"What happened?" I chuckled, fairly pleased with this development. Though I knew the Cullens were staying.

"I told him I was done with his bitchiness, and then..." She paused for nearly a minute, so I knew something serious had happened. "I beat the ever loving shit out of him. If vampires could get head injuries, he'd be a vegetable right now." She smirked ruefully.

"You handed his ass to him?" I burst out laughing. "Damn Bella, I wish I could have seen that!"

"Of course, ripped a chunk out of his shoulder too. You're not mad?" she asked confused.

"Hell no! I can do without him in the tower. I already talked to Emmett." Honestly, I liked all of the Cullens, with one exception. I knew how persuasive Edward could be, and he had no doubt taken advantage of that when he convinced his family to leave Forks, Every one of them would never forgive themselves for that, except maybe Rosalie, but she didn't like being had by her so-called brother. Even Carlisle was angry.

"And?"

"Emmett and Rosalie are sticking around, they can't tolerate him anymore. The rest agree to a point and are staying too," I shrugged. "And Eleazar's coven still has a huge grudge against me and Dem, so I sent him home to talk to them and decide where he rather be. He's probably going to pacify the sisters and come back, this is too important to him not to."

"So nothing has really changed?" she gasped. I thought she probably hadn't fully understood how little I wanted to run the Volturi in the first place.

"Yeah, for the time being," I said. "I'm done trying not to pissed any of them off though, and I only really had an issue with him. Plus, I simply cannot run away from something I made necessary. And honestly, it's easier without having to mind my p's and q's."

And so, there was the start of a new chapter in my life. Felix, one of the Volturi leaders. Ugh. Luckily, it really didn't involve much more than when I was only a Guard. It was actually pretty boring for a few weeks.

"Felix, vamp in the great room for ya," Jane said, popping her head around the corner.

"What can the Volturi do for you today?" I said, looking over the short, blonde immortal.

"I need to speak to Aro," he answered, more sharply than Caius would ever have let him get away with.

"He's...currently indisposed. What do you need?" We were trying to keep the knowledge that the Ancients were dead from the larger world for the time being.

"I want to join your ranks," he snapped, like he was speaking to some lowly servant.

"No," I smirked, raising an eyebrow. I wasn't about to bring in a new immortal when we were all settling into our new roles. "And I'd watch your tone."

"You're nothing but a guard!" he spat. "You don't make the decisions!"

He lunged at me. This guy had to have a deathwish.

"Actually, I do," I hissed just as Jane, Heidi and Demetri came rushing in. "And what skill do you believe you could bring to the Volturi?"

I wasn't about to start killing people for that level of hostility just yet. I refused to be as ruthless as Caius and Aro.

"I manipulate people's thoughts, make them believe basically anything I want, like how I would be a great fit here, and Aro would be delighted to see me now," he grinned, overconfident.

He was trying to use to on me, and I could tell. Bella look of fury just confirmed that. Thank God for her shield.

"Yeah, I don't think so." I lunged at him, tearing his head off before he could recognized what my words meant.

"He could have been useful," Jane sighed.

"More like he would have turned every immortal he could find against us," I snarled. I was not about to allow the vampire community's opinion be skewed before we could truly change thing. I knew it set a big precedent to kill him, but the Volturi was still be to looked at as the reason out world was the way it was, and how those rules kept us all safe and peaceful for the most part. "Not a word to anyone about this. I rather people not view us as Caius on a power trip."

"Agreed," Jane and Demetri chorused.

I pulled our Audi under the arched tunnel of one of the many, many side doors, picked up Bella to head somewhere interesting to go hunt. Maybe Africa.

"Want to hunt a lion?" I grinned.

"Sure, mountain lions are fine. It's been a bit too long since I hunted something I haven't had in a while. I was getting tired of wolves," she smiled, referring to the Volturi's private hunting grounds.

"No, I meant an actual king-of-the-beast lion," I smirked, watching her eyes go wide with surprise and excitement.

It felt amazing to have this level of freedom, and the means to make it happen; to be able to leave whenever we wanted, but still not feel directionless. I needed some mission, some goal in life, and now that the Ancients were gone, that morphed into being the Volturi once again. I thought it funny how every stage of my life focused around the Volturi in some way, perhaps I was more tied to it than I had realized.

"Well, you can fly, but I think Alec is better," Bella snickered after a slightly rough landing.

"Hey! That was an unpaved strip of hard dirt, not a runway! Give me a break!" I laughed, not managing to keep up my hurt feelings look.

"Well, it's not like I can die in a plane crash," she shrugged.

"Technically, you can." I smirked, realizing how much about being a vampire she still needed to learn. As old as I was, I didn't know everything.

"WHAT?" she gasped, yanking me to a stop and pouncing on me. I was beyond glad her strength was waning slightly. Having a little five foot four woman tackle me like that was a minor hit to my ego.

"The fireball," I grinned. "It can still set you on fire, but the trick is getting you to stand still long enough to actually do any damage."

"Oh. That makes sense."

I flipped off my back onto my feet, pulling Bella up with me.

"Alright, the wilds of Africa!" I announced, sweeping my arm in front of us in an overly grand gesture. "We offer lions, hyenas, cheetahs, giraffes, hippopotamuses, rhinos, wildebeest, and anything else you want I'm sure they have it. So, what would you like, Mrs. Skylar?"

"Hmm...Lions and hyenas and Cheetahs, Oh my!" she giggled.

Watching Bella hunt was so beautiful. She might not have been as a human, but now she was the most graceful creature I had ever seen. She even made me look jerky and unsure in comparison.

"I'll race ya," Bella grinned, dropping her second lion at her feet.

"You're on," I chuckled.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but we found Amun and Kebi waiting for us.

"I thought I knew that plane," Amun huffed. "What business has Aro sent you on now?"

"Hello, Amun. Aro didn't send me on any business," I shrugged. I figured it was best to be honest but vague.

"You look different. Your eyes resemble Carlisle's."

_Damnit. _I just really hoping he wouldn't bring that up.

"Well, you know how Aro can be," I said with a perfect, wry smile. If he still feared Aro as much as it seemed, he'd let it go.

"We have broken no laws. He would do well to keep his distance."

"I'll be the one to determine that, Amun," I sneered, ushering Bella onto the plane. "You'd do well to remember the Volturi's authority."

"The hell was up with that guy?" Bella asked as soon as we pulled the plane into the hanger outside Volterra.

"Amun? You remember the Egyptians we were talking about? He's the last surviving member of that coven, and only because he ran before we got there," I smirked.

"He noticed your eyes though. Won't that raise suspicions?"

"Nah, not for a few years at least."

"But so many people know Carlsile and his lifestyle. Won't they put the pieces together?"

"Probaby, but it's not a bad thing. Everyone will assoicate golden eyes with the Volturi eventually, and it will only make us stand out more and make us appear all the more untouchable."

"But we're not untouchable! But by a long shot!" I could hear the panic in her voice, and given the turmoil the past several months, I couldn't blame her.

"No, we're not, but regardless of how the old regime really was, ninety-nine perfect of our world still see the Volturi as the good guys."

Bella snorted in disbelief.

"I told you Aro was a manipulative bastard. And the law the created did benefit us all, the Ancients just overstepped their authority," I shrugged.

"Alright, I get that. But if our eyes become more or less a symbol of the Volturi, aren't you worried someone will switch to animal blood and use that for their own goals?" she asked. Bella was always far more insightful than most people I knew.

"It's possibility, but I highly doubt it. One, it's an incredibly hard lifestyle to adapt to. Everyone beside you and me have slipped up already, and the only reason we haven't said the hell with it and returned to human is because of you, and the fact we're remarkably disciplined. I really don't know anyone else who could keep it up long enough for their eyes to change."

"And two?"

"Impersonating the Volturi is a serious crime. And no one is that stupid," I grinned.

"As stupid as taking on the Volturi?" she laughed.

"Almost," I smirked and winked at her, nudging her with my elbow. "The difference is we had you on our side."

"And someone insane enough to try," Bella grinned, punching my shoulder.

"I'll give you that one," I laughed. "It was a pretty crazy plan, but necessary all the same. I really think the world is better off without them. The only question is if I can step up to the plate and do a better job."

"It's not a question, babe. You're going to be stellar and I know it. Plus you have me to kick your ass if you let it go to your head." As if to prove her point, she pounce on my back, and kissed my cheek as I headed off to the tower carrying her.

It was the simple pleasures in life, like giving her a piggy back ride, hopping over to Africa to hunt with her, and just being near Bella that did and would forever keep me grounded. I owed her more than I could ever give.

On the way back to the Volturi castle, I thought of how completely life had changed in the past year. The force that had ruled our world for centuries was now in my control. I had the most amazing, wonderful, thoughtful woman to call mine. Now Amun was giving me, of all people, subtle threats. This was going to be an interested century.

**A/N:Alright guys, I'll get the next one up asap, but I have a hellishly busy weekend ahead of me, but not expect one until early next week, but who knows? I tend to surprise with early updates at times. ;)**


	26. Grievances

**A/N: Heya peeps! :) I am so sorry this took me longer than usual to get up. I've had an insane week, but NO WAY in hell am I abandoning this story, it's my baby :) so never fear, after July 20th or so, my schedule should simmer down a bit. Plus, having a little time to gather and organize my thoughts is definitely a good thing.**

**Cullensbabymama3, GleekLaughingXDPuckleBerry, you two keep me going, and I owe you many many hugs. :)**

**Enjoy!**

_**The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control**_

_**Grievances**_

Life in Volterra was good, but of course, it wasn't bound to stay that way. Less than two months after we took over, Alice saw some people coming to us but not the reason. I sort of wished I hadn't kicked Edward to the curb, since he could have told me the 'whys' but it really seemed everyone was happier without him moping around. I knew I was, and Bella still hadn't cooled down from their previous run-in.

We had passed the time with redecorating, and Demetri and I had a blast torching the thrones of the Ancients. Heidi then replaced them with a set living room set. It looked more like an upscale modern common room then where we conducted the bulk of our business. It was all black and sleek with splashes of color, mainly a peacock feather motif (I blamed Heidi for that).

A short little tea-cup-of-a-vampire barged into the great room demanding to speak with Caius. Apparently he didn't know the Ancients that well, or knew them much better than I realized, because otherwise Caius would have found some reason to kill the man.

"Caius is unavailable," I said, giving the general excuse we were giving out. It wasn't untrue, just merely vague in the widest sense of the word.

"Tell him Gaetan is here to see him. I'm certain he would appreciate it," the man sneered. What was it with all the people demanded to see the Ancients being insufferably rude?

"As I said, he's not available, Gaetan," I hissed in return. "Anything you need to say to him, you can say to me."

"I do not think so Felix. I know you're only an enforcer."

"That's where you're wrong, I'm head of the enforcers," I snapped, again not lying, just leaving out that I was also head of the Volturi. "You should know you don't come to the Volturi unless you're reporting a crime. What has happened so we can do our jobs?"

"Regardless, Caius would want to hear this in person."

"Not going to happen," I snarled. This man was seriously wearing on my self-control

"Fine, then. I'll wait. It's been longer than I would like since I've hunted and considering how protective the Volturi are of their city, I believe I'll wait for a meal to come to me."

The previous Volturi had a complicated fishing schedule, but if someone had paid attention for a few decades, it would have become apparent. Unfortunately, that meant I only had a day to get rid of this guy before he realized something was amiss.

"Yeah...about that," Demetri grinned, rounding the corner. "We've already got guests, and there's just not enough to go around."

"Interesting," Gaetan murmured to himself, and swept out of the tower.

"That was...I want to say anomalous, but I'm going to go with weird," Jasper motioned after the man.

"What was?" I questioned.

"There's something about that guy. The vibe coming off him was incredibly smug, like he got away with something," Jasper signed, shaking his head.

"He didn't seem so smug to me, more like put out," Jane smirked.

"You can fake appearances, you can even lie with your thoughts, but you can't hide your emotions," he rolled his eyes.

"But why the hell would he be?" I scoffed. "It's not like he got what he came for."

"Maybe he did," Bella whispered.

"The hell?" Demetri asked peering at her like she knew something the rest of us didn't.

"I think...I think that was his whole purpose for coming here, to see if he could get to the Ancients. They've dropped off the face of the planet, and someone's bound to get curious," I said, realizing where Bella was going with this.

Jane and Alec's faces dropped, as they caught up.

"Demetri, bring him back NOW!" I commanded after thinking for a second, but he, Jane and Alec were already out the door.

I started getting antsy after half an hour. There was no way Gaetan could have made it too far, and with Demetri on his tail, he couldn't hide.

"There you go, Felix," Demetri grinned, tossing Gaetan so he skidded across the floor between us.

"Gaetan, I'm somewhat offended you'd play me as a fool. You're not the first to come see the Ancients lately when nobody in their right mind would willing come here. So why are you here? The truth, not this bullshit about a meet-and-greet with Caius," I said, my voice as sharp as a razor. I was so tired of being of idiots picking fights with me.

"I told you to see Caius," he hissed.

"Try again." Just for good measure, I threw him a hard backhanded-fist, cracking his face.

"Caius," he spat. "I need to see him and only him."

"And why on God's green earth would you want to see the sadistic son of a bitch?" I laughed humorlessly.

Demetri shot me a horrified look, knowing the cover story was blown. But really, if Bella's and my theory was correct, Gaetan already knew. We didn't have a lot of options at this point; basically either kill him, which Carlisle and a couple others would object to, or let him go, which I and most of the others were adamantly against. The rest didn't really care.

"I'd start talkin' sunshine, or Jane's about to get a new pet," I smirked.

"Go to hell," he snarled. He wasn't stupid and knew exactly what I was about to do.

"Well, for the record, Caius is dead. That little lady" – I nodded my head towards Bella –"tore him apart. And, yeah, I'm probably going to hell, but you first," I sneered as I ripped his head off to Carlisle's sigh. "Dem, burn him."

"Felix! Is this how you're going to rule? I did not agree to kill those with different ideas about who should be here! If they follow the law, we leave them be," Carlisle said, pretty angry, though I couldn't care less. I'd do anything to protect my family and now that meant our status as the Volturi too.

"Carlisle, you've got to understand. This wasn't some random 'I wanna kill someone' thing. This is about protecting us all, until we can figure all this mess out. Our entire world could be thrown into chaos if the news about the Ancients being ash got out right now. And I have NO doubt someone would try to take us down," I sighed. I didn't want to fight right now, especially since everything was so tediously balanced as is.

"You killed him to keep the truth quiet?" Carlisle hissed. It was the first time I'd ever seen Carlisle actually look like a vampire. "None can stand against us! You know that!"

"YES, I DID! We do it all the time to keep mortals in the dark! This goes so beyond that one major rule because I _promise _you, the fallout will garner human attention! It did when the Romanians tried to overthrow us, and this is a hell of a lot bigger than that!" I bellowed back. "And we're not invincible Carlisle! Chelsea proved that!" I felt horrid for bringing her into this, but I needed to make him see the reality. "If the right people got together in a large enough group, they'd smoke us all, and I WILL NOT lose Bella, or anyone else in a goddamn power struggle! You might not have much to lose by walking away, but I sure as hell do!"

"You think I have nothing to lose?" Carlisle hissed. "One of my sons has already walked away!"

"No one knows you're here, except maybe for just visiting old friends. Everybody knows about my family! We're the public face of the Volturi! And there's more than enough people out there who would try to kill us if they knew we didn't have the full might of the last regime behind us! So BACK OFF CARLISLE!"

I turned at stormed out of the great room before it came to blows. One more harsh word from him, and it would be a monumental effort to avoid punching him. I really didn't want to, but as I had said before, I had one hell of a temper if someone got me riled up, which was a feat in and of itself, with someone I actually liked.

Everyone eventually congregated in the foyer after various lengths of time. Demetri and Heidi had smoothed things over with Carlisle, and honestly I was grateful. Diplomacy was never my strong suit, especially with someone always seeing the good in people. Sure, it could be a good quality, but not when most of the people you dealt with would quite possibly rather see you stripped from the Volturi, if not dead.

"You really think this could get out so soon?" Jasper questioned. "I mean it would normally be years between hearing from the Volturi, not a few weeks."

"It has to be. Amun seemed a little off when I saw him last," I shrugged. I gave a small nod towards Carlisle, and he responded likewise, showing all was forgiven, for the moment at least.

I knew from the get-go this whole thing was going to be rough, doubly so when not everyone sees eye to eye. Aro and Caius, for the most part, agreed on everything, with Marcus not giving a damn. Carlisle had too much compassion for this, in my opinion. I wasn't saying that we should destroy every little 'what if', but some things were important enough to kill the one than risk the whole. Eleazar at least understood that, and could see things from my point of view, but if he ever left, there's no way in hell Carlisle and I could work together for a long duration.

I could be a little harsh in my methods, I'd admit, but it was all a means to an end, to keep my Bella and my family safe. I was a fighter, an enforcer by nature, and nothing, save Bella, could change that, and she would never ask, it was too important to her also.

"Well, there's not a lot we can do about that. Plus, we have another problem," Alec sighed, tossing a print-out of a Mexican newspaper on the table.

The headline read: _Mysterious disappearances continue._ The story was your pretty typical 'people are gone, we have no idea where, who, how, or why' fare.

"We'll keep an eye on it," I shrugged. "It's probably those damn southerners, and frankly I'm more concerned about the wrong people knowing Aro and Caius are dead."

"You think the war is getting heavy again?" Jasper asked.

"It's been heading that way for some time. We were in Dallas a year ago to make them simmer down," Jane sighed. "Haven't heard much since."

"But if it's being picked up by the human news already –" Demetri started.

"Damn, you're right. Alright, get your gear. Let's go take care of it. Carlisle and Eleazar can stay here," I ordered, slipping effortlessly into the leadership role. I considered myself lucky that in this aspect, the defending of our law, Carlisle and Eleazar trusted my judgment. Of course, this was a pretty cut and dry case, not shades of grey like some issues.

The hierarchy in this new Volturi was a bit wonky, though. The Skylars answered to me, the Cullens to Carlisle, and Eleazar answered to no one. The three of us were pretty good at agreeing with each other, but it hadn't been fully utilized yet. The most pressing and argumentative problem we had thus far was who was going to hunt when and where, other than the spat between Carlisle and I.

I heard a sharp gasp from behind me, and Jasper yelling Alice's name. I spun to see him shaking her, trying to get her attention back to the present.

All of the Cullens had frozen, along with Bella. Alice had seen something, and that something was very very bad.

"We can't go," she whispered.

"Why? What did you see, Alice?" Jasper asked frantically.

"Nothing," she breathed.

"Nothing? What's the problem then?" Jane said what I assumed most of us were thinking.

"No, I mean our futures disappeared. Not like a blind spot, but were completely erased," she gasped again. The entire room went dead silent, not even a breath was taken.

"What. The. Fuck," I said, staring at her with wide-eyes. The only way that could happen, from what Alice had told me, was if we were all dead, or about to be.

"I don't know. All I saw was a flash of a someone, and everything was gone."

"Did you see who it was?" Demetri demanded, receiving a glare from Jasper.

"No, just a shadow."

"Is that even possible? I mean, look at us. No one person could possibly defeat us all," Emmett scoffed.

"I wouldn't say anything's impossible, just very, very improbable. What the hell is going on?" Demetri wondered. I was right there with him.

"I have no idea, but until I say otherwise, NO ONE leaves the tower without mine and Alice's say so," I said, laying the new ground rule. Carlisle started to argue with me, but I quickly intervened. "This is not a debate Carlisle. I will not have some immortal waiting in the wings to take us out one by one if they could destroy us all at the same time. Not until we figure out who it is and what they're after."

"Well, you have any ideas?" Eleazar asked me.

"Not really. No one is suicidal enough to try us like that, much less succeed at it. And nearly everyone created after the Volturi's rise knows that. My only guess, whoever it is, is ancient, thousands of years old, before written history. Someone who either has been in hiding for a very long time and doesn't know about us, or remembers before we existed and simply doesn't care."

"But wouldn't someone know about this guy by now?" Jane scoffed, always the skeptic.

"Well, most of the myths about us aren't true, so I'd assume anything about him has been chalked up to myth too," I shrugged.

"But this wasn't some myth! All of us disappeared!" Alice nearly shouted, like I was calling her gift a parlor trick.

"Alice, I realize that, but if we have no idea how that could happen, besides an act of God or something you're blind to, there's got to be an alternative than some boogie-man is going to kill us all," I said, trying to make her see reason.

"I agree. There's a better chance there's something you can't see rather than someone managing to slaughter us. I mean, you couldn't see the werewolves," Bella chimed in.

"That might be true, if I didn't see the person!" Alice said, completely freaked out. "But even with the werewolves, Bella only flickered in and out, and Heidi never disappeared."

"That's because I ran before they showed up and Bella was with me most of it," Heidi pointed out.

"Look, I promise no one without an extra ability would be able to get to us, and there's no way an army would be able to ambush us. Alice would see something that big," I reassured them.

"And werewolves or something else of that magnitude would have caused more waves than a few missing persons cases." Demetri was right, as usual.

"Are you sure?" Jasper questioned, not convinced.

"I might be the in-your-face-overly-loud one in this duo," I said, wagging my finger between Demetri and I, "but when he makes an observation like that, Dem's usually right on the money."

"Thanks, though I'm always right," Demetri smirked.

"Remember, no one leaves," I ordered again, wrapping my arm about Bella's waist and heading to the Skylar common area.

The way we renovated the tower almost reminded me of a dorm. We all had our own quarters, but each family had their own common area away from the great room and foyer. Of course, the tower was one of the biggest complexes I'd ever seen, with it's sprawling underground tunnels and all the buildings through Volterra that were connected. Not the mention all the vaults underneath.

"Huh. I wonder," I murmured to myself, eying one of the thick wooden doors from Aro's old room leading to one of his many vaults.

"What, Felix?" Bella asked, following me through the pitch-black tunnels.

"This is where Aro kept his most valuable possessions, undiscovered works of art, crown jewels, and such. He also kept a huge number of writings, or so it was rumored."

"Writings? Like Shakespeare's original drafts or something?"

"Something like that," I laughed. "But none of the Guard had ever seen these, and Caius demanded several times they be destroyed. I'm wondering, if they're actually here, if they might be old written legends that might have been too close to the truth."

"And why is this suddenly important?"

"Because, they could mention something like Alice described. The Ancients took these so the legends would pass orally into myth and become more and more outlandish with each retelling."

"But vampire memories are infallible. Why would Aro keep written records? And where the hell are we anyway?"

"My thoughts exactly, but just because it's a rumor, doesn't mean it's not true. Aro was always one for histories, and a bit of a pack rat," I grinned. "As far where we are, about three hundred feet below street level and on the west side of the city below the police station."

"Oh, you never been down here?"

"Nope, I doubt anyone alive has," I said, peering down one of the dozens of tunnels leading from a largish antechamber.

"That one," Bella pointed to an arch with cherubs carved into the stone.

"I'll bet you a new bed frame it's this one," I smirked, pointing to one three arches over. It was plain and simple with slightly drier air wafting from it.

"You're on," she grinned.

I had seen a lot of insane castles and mansions, but this mass of tunnels pushed Volturi Tower squarely into the number one slot. The hallway double-backed a dozen times, crisscrossing itself all over the city above. Finally we reached a simple but incredibly thick iron door with a stone slab weighing at least seventeen tons on the other side.

Bella and I moved the slab, and sure enough, there was row after row of ancient texts.

"Hey Bells, will you to go get Dem and Eleazar and bring them down here?"

"Sure sweetheart," she smiled, wrapping her arms around my neck to pull herself up for a kiss.

"Oh, and tell Demetri to order that bed on your tab," I grinned.

"Shut up," Bella laughed, flitting out of the makeshift library.

I sniffed the air, and followed the unique scent that only comes with really, really old parchment. There was an extremely fragile wooden box almost out of view on the top shelf with thousands of loose pages. It seemed every language ever spoken was represented here.

"What's up?" Demetri said, winding around the bookshelves.

"Something about Alice's vision bothered me," I answered, not looking up from my reading.

"You mean other than us all being massacred?" Eleazar raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Well, sort of. There's no one that can pose a serious threat to us anymore. All of us except Esme and maybe Carmen, are deadly enough alone, but together, we're unstoppable."

"Carmen can handle herself," Eleazar smirked. "Trained her myself."

"I should have guessed," I chuckled. "Werewolves are notoriously violent and any infestation that could wipe us out had to have been noticed in some capacity by now. But I wondering if there might possibly be something worse out there, hidden in the myths of old that Aro buried long ago."

"Makes sense, especially if he wanted to keep his spot at the top of the food chain."

"Exactly. If he knew of something that actually exists, my guess is it would probably be in here. The trick is sorting the legend from the truth."

"All this appears to be ridiculous myths about us," Demetri mention, flipping through a couple of the older books.

"But look at the myths closely. They're not completely accurate but a bit too close for comfort. The only ones that are true in human lore are we drink blood, pale, undead and immortal. Along with the inhuman strength and speed."

"Wouldn't we have heard something like this though?" Eleazar asked, just as baffled as Demetri was.

"Not necessarily. I think Aro wiped it all out. If such a legend is for real, I can't imagine Caius or Aro letting it spread even to us." I was right and Demetri knew it. All my years of serving Aro at least had paid off.

"Why wouldn't they just bring the entire Guard and kill it?" Eleazar pondered.

"God knows, but I'm sure they had a reason," Demetri shrugged. I had to agree.

"This is an incredibly long shot, but I rather be sure," I said, turning back to my page.

Almost a day had passed since we had entered the tunnels when we finally emerged. We found nothing that we couldn't explain, everything leading back to someone we knew.

It still weighed on my mind though. What the hell could possibly destroy fourteen insanely powerful immortals? And before we even knew what hit us?

**A/N: Okie dokie, so we've got started on the first adventure. :) I'm so sorry it took me a while, but between work getting insane, putting in a new pool, and a million other things, I was pretty swamped. It should begin to settle down soon though. :)**

**Thanks for reading guys!**


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